The director of the federal health department’s civil rights office said on Saturday that his office was opening a series of civil rights investigations to ensure that states did not allow medical providers to discriminate on the basis of disabilities, race, age or certain other...
In light of the Public Health Emergency concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing this bulletin to ensure that entities covered by civil rights authorities keep in mind...
American democracy is based on the idea that the voices of the people matter. As legislators struggle with difficult issues, trying to balance the needs of conflicting constituencies and solve complicated problems, they need to hear the perspectives of the people most directly affected. This is...
Rear Adm. Tom Steffens, U.S. Navy (retired) When I was on active duty, one of the key tenets of our Navy SEAL Creed was, “Leave no one behind.” I see this same principle alive across our commonwealth as civil society and our public servants work tirelessly to...
In 20 years of working with geriatric patients, I have seen the frightened faces, emaciated and bruised bodies, and the hopelessness of abuse victims. My patients taught me the five types of elder abuse: neglect, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. New...
Like many people all over the world, I am not leaving the house now. For me, though, staying home is nothing new. I am in bed as I write this, propped up by my usual heap of cushions, talking to other sick and disabled people...
With the looming and imminent threat of insufficient hospital and ICU beds, medical equipment and healthcare staff, I found myself recalling an old favorite TV show from my college years. MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) created both comedy and drama around the reality of having...
As a person who has a significant disability that impacts all areas of my life, I experienced anger, disappointment and frustration in reading the column about Ralph McFadden, who hopes that he is living in Illinois when the time comes for him to take a...
The majority of people with disabilities has considered the “End of Life Options Act,” or what ever it is being called this year, otherwise known as physician prescribed suicide. The National Council on Disability came out with a report on Oct. 9 about the dangers of assisted suicide laws...
Contrary to the March 9 editorial “Avoiding unnecessary suffering,” the data as well as personal experience confirm that assisted suicide puts at risk the lives of many vulnerable people who deserve to be valued equally. Although the editorial asserted that this ill-conceived public policy is intended...