Advocates on Crisis Standards

June 10, 2020
On June 9, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released new “Crisis Care Guidelines” for COVID-19 that affirm that health care providers may not discriminate based on the age or disability of patients when deciding how to allocate scarce resources. The guidelines are intended for use by private and public hospitals and county health entities in situations where there are shortages in staff and equipment needed to treat critically ill COVID patients. [...]

Summary of California’s Revised Crisis Care Guidelines (June 2020)

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June 10, 2020
On June 9, 2020, the California Department of Public Health released its revised "Crisis Care Guidelines" for COVID-19. These guidelines apply if and when there are so many critically ill COVID patients who need intensive care that there may not be enough staff and equipment to treat everyone. The recommended protocols include rules for deciding who gets prioritized for care when medical resources are scarce.

DREDF Policy Recommendations for Reducing COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths Through Innovative HCBS

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June 4, 2020
On May 21, DREDF submitted data and policy information on several innovative home and community-based projects that could help reduce the steep rates of COVID-19 infection and death of disabled and older persons in nursing homes and other institutions throughout the U.S. Our submission recommends fostering partnerships among health plans, state and local entities, disability organizations, aging organizations, and health and home and community-based service providers to fill the service and support gaps experienced by people with disabilities of all ages who are sheltering in place in their communities. We equally emphasize the importance of data collection on where, when, and how people with disabilities and older persons are experiencing COVID-19 infections and deaths. [...]

DREDF Submits Comments Opposing CMS’ Proposed Narrowing of Nursing Home Screening Requirements

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June 4, 2020
On May 20, DREDF submitted comments opposing a proposed rule from CMS that would have the effect of narrowing the applicability of the Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) that nursing homes must administer to individuals with mental, intellectual or developmental disabilities to prevent their inappropriate and unwanted institutionalization. The comments point out that the PASRR rules should be updated to require broader review in light of legal and social trends toward community placement and away from segregated care, and highlight the inappropriateness of the proposed rule in light of the clear threat to life posed by nursing home residence during the current COVID-19 pandemic. [...]

Civil Rights Coalition Letter on Federal Policing Priorities

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June 2, 2020
400 Civil Rights organizations call on Congressional leadership to rectify the legacy of white supremacy and anti-black racism causing police violence against Black people across the United States.

DREDF Calls for Effective Communication in COVID Treatment

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June 1, 2020
DREDF, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, the National Health Law Program, and 6 other organizations that advocate on behalf of Limited English Proficient populations and people with communication disabilities wrote a joint letter to Congress May 29. The letter urges federal lawmakers to provide funding, resources, and oversight to ensure that entities supporting the health of communities across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic provide the fully accessible and translated written and oral communication needed for equally effective healthcare.

On the Racist Killings of Black Americans

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May 29, 2020
We support the protesters in Minneapolis, Louisville, and across the country. The protests are a response to embedded institutionalized violence and hate, to the murder of George Floyd, and the failure to jail the police officers who killed him. They are a response to the elected racist president whose message to them is, "when the looting starts the shooting starts." And they are a call to action for all of us who refuse to be complicit in the betrayal of people of color during the period of moral crisis that now confronts us.

DREDF Comments on Proposed Amendments to the California Building Code

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May 26, 2020
People with disabilities and their families have faced a longstanding shortage of accessible and affordable housing in California. We know that people with disabilities often experience poverty, thus increasing the likelihood that we rely on affordable, accessible housing to thrive in our communities. [...]

Stacey Milbern Park

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May 20, 2020
What a blow to lose Stacey when our communities need her leadership more than ever, and at a time when her strength, insight, and grit were receiving increased recognition outside of disability circles, giving her a greater platform to advance her life’s work. We will not have the gift of learning where her charismatic leadership would have taken us. But let there be no doubt: What Stacey gave us, in a relatively short time, will continue benefiting others for years to come.

DREDF Testimony in Support of AB 3052

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May 19, 2020
On Tuesday, May 19 DREDF Staff Attorney Carly A. Myers presented testimony to the California Assembly in support of AB 3052, the Compensation for Survivors of Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Act, which passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee unanimously. The Bill is now heading to the Budget Sub-5 Committee for a hearing on May 21. [...]