Action Alert: Procuring organs from people with disabilities Take Action! Comments on proposed rules due Friday, June 15! The United Network on Organ Sharing (UNOS) has issued proposed requirements for organ procurement from people who depend on ventilators or other life sustaining treatment, including people with upper spinal cord injuries and people with neuromuscular disabilities. […]
Much of the state level legislative activity concerning POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) has been carried out under the general public’s radar. But when Governor Chris Christie vetoed the New Jersey POLST bill yesterday, it hit the news feed. According to NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM and the Governor’s veto message – While noting the prospective benefits in […]
I just learned that the Illinois legislature passed a bill authorizing Physician Orders on Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) (ILH 3134) which was signed by the Governor last week. We haven’t addressed POLST on the NDY blog yet, but it’s a primary focus of legislative activism on the part of the so-called “end-of-life” coalitions that formed during […]
While national disability organizations work hard to influence the federal budget debates, painful Medicaid cuts are already being considered and implemented at the state level across the country. Getting disability advocates and issues to the table is a major challenge. The Executive Director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York just […]
In transitioning to full time work for Not Dead Yet, I’m bringing my last fifteen years of independent living and health care advocacy experience. I’ve served on a number of boards and committees related to achieving universal health care, protecting and improving health care access for people with disabilities, and reversing the institutional bias built […]
Diane Coleman Transitioning to New Role as CEO of Not Dead Yet in August Most readers of this blog and anyone else who is familiar with NDY knows that Diane Coleman is the founder and President of the group. On August 1, 2011, Diane Coleman will transition to a new role as the full time […]
I love The Onion. This is a pretty deadly picture of what bipartisan cooperation could look like in terms of tackling the budget deficit. (Just kidding – really) I apologize for the lack of captioning, but I couldn’t pass this up. If there’s a good transcriptionist reading this, I promise you gratitude and credit if […]
This all started simply enough. On July 9, the New York Times published an essay by Dudley Clendinen titled The Good Short Life With A.L.S. In the essay, Clendinen, who has previously worked as a correspondent and as an editorial writer for the paper, shared his thoughts on living with A.L.S. – which he calls […]
This week, ADAPT, the national grassroots disability rights group, has been in Washington, DC. Some 500 members of ADAPT – most of whom have significant disabilities – are there to let Congress know that this group of stakeholders knows exactly what’s at stake with current budget proposals, especially the cynical and draconian budget proposal being […]
From USA Today – “When is someone brain dead? Experts revise guidelines“: Determining brain death is a complex process that requires dozens of tests to make sure doctors come to the correct conclusion. With that goal in mind, the American Academy of Neurology has issued new guidelines — an update of guidelines first written 15 […]
