Category Archives: futility

New OCR Settlement On COVID-19 Triage Criteria Increases Disability Protections

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On June 26, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights issued a press release entitled “OCR Resolves Complaint with Tennessee After it Revises its Triage Plans to Protect Against Disability Discrimination.” A number of state and national disability groups had complained that Tennessee’s crisis standards of care (CSC) “would unlawfully … Continue reading New OCR Settlement On COVID-19 Triage Criteria Increases Disability Protections →

ADAPT of Texas Protests Hospital Killing of Michael Hickson, A Black Disabled Man

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ADAPT of Texas members protested on June 28th in front of St. David’s Hospital in Austin where they refused treatment and starved to death Michael Hickson, a black disabled man who died on June 11th, 2020. ADAPT of Texas reported that Michael Hickson was a quadriplegic with a brain injury who was refused treatment for … Continue reading ADAPT of Texas Protests Hospital Killing of Michael Hickson, A Black Disabled Man →

Lisa Blumberg – Medical Rationing: When Disability Bias Hides Behind A Magical “Invisibility” Cloak

bioethics, COVID-19, futility, health disparities, healthcare rationing, life-sustaining treatment, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, , ,

Among the rationing plans being discussed to respond to the strain the surge in coronavirus cases is expected to place on the capabilities of hospitals in some cases, the Pittsburgh Model Plan Regarding the Allocation of Scarce Critical Care Resources during a Public Health Emergency (1) is being given the most play. The Plan would … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg – Medical Rationing: When Disability Bias Hides Behind A Magical “Invisibility” Cloak →

ADAPT’s Bob Kafka Interviews Diane Coleman About NDY & COVID-19 On Barrier Free Futures

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ADAPT’s Bob Kafka is a long time activist with Not Dead Yet, and is the person who actually suggested our name, based on a running gag in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The interview excerpted below was broadcast on April 4, 2020 and the audio is archived here. Below is a long excerpt of … Continue reading ADAPT’s Bob Kafka Interviews Diane Coleman About NDY & COVID-19 On Barrier Free Futures →

United Spinal Assn. Helped Fight A Futility Judgment And Won!

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The hospital may not have called it a “futility judgment” when they pushed Chris Dunn to go into hospice as an alternative to spinal cord injury rehabilitation, but it’s hard to see it any other way. Here’s an extended excerpt from United Spinal Association’s New Mobility article “Refusing To Die: The Chris Dunn Story“: By … Continue reading United Spinal Assn. Helped Fight A Futility Judgment And Won! →