We are in a moment without precedent, yet filled with challenge and risk.
For 100 years, The Ability Center of Greater Toledo has been privileged to serve many constituents with disabilities in northwest Ohio, and we cannot serve them well without strong partnerships who share our mission and vow to help us keep people with disabilities thriving in our community. We believe its vital to share the recent Health and Human Services (HHS) Bulletin set to establish protocols for health care rationing in our region in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
News reports from Italy detailing the need for treatment rationing protocols reached the United States. It was then a task force lead by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services asking for clarification on how decisions about how medical treatment should be
allocated without using disability as a factor in decision‐making.
On March 28, 2020, HHS issued the following guidance:
- Persons with disabilities should not be denied medical care on the
basis of stereotypes, assessments of quality of life, or judgements
about a person’s relative “worth” based on the presence or absence
of disabilities - Decisions concerning whether an individual is a candidate for
treatment should be based on an individualized assessment of the
patient based on the best available objective medical evidence. - The HHS also asks hospitals to ensure that effective communication is
available to everyone receiving treatment during this time.
Our sympathies and prayers are with our health care workers, who are in unprecedented danger and are being required to make stressful and difficult decisions. We know from experience, it is also important that individuals with disabilities are not subjected to a lack of treatment based on unjustified stereotypes or in the interest of efficient decision‐making.
Download HHS Bulletin here.
