Face Masks

Be Aware of Your Rights According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as COVID-19 Cases Increase

As cases of COVID-19 increase across the country, people with disabilities face a unique risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the disability community is not inherently more likely to be infected with COVID-19, however, they are more likely to experience the severe effects of the virus because of other health conditions.

Early in the pandemic, Disability Rights Pennsylvania filed a discrimination complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services and advocated with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to ensure that assumptions and stereotypes of people with disabilities would not be a factor in determining who would receive adequate care during this crisis. As a result of this work, the Pennsylvania Department of Health revised its guidelines.

Currently, as cases surpass 460,000, and deaths exceed 12,000 for the state of Pennsylvania, hospitals are stressed as caseloads continue to rise and ICU beds are filling up The Department of Health and Governor have made clear that hospital capacity could be filled during the month of December if our cases continue on the current course.

As of December 10th, Governor Wolf and Dr. Levine of the Department of Health announced new mitigation efforts that will be in place until January 4th, 2021. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings limited to 50 people, however, as small gatherings are the greatest contribution to the current spike in cases, the administration urges all Pennsylvanians to reconsider any gatherings.

We as an organization feel it is necessary to equip our community with the information you need to seek care amidst the pandemic. With that in mind, please see below for our COVID-19 healthcare resources. If you need advocacy as it pertains to seeking care, please call our COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-692-7443 EXT. 402.

 

Please remain safe, socially distanced, and wear a mask. We will only get through this together. 

Healthcare Rationing Guide by DRP
Hospital Visitation Resource by DRP

Disability Rights Pennsylvania
301 Chestnut Street Suite 300 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
800-692-7443 | intake@disabilityrightspa.org

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