[act-ma] Fwd: Demand Health Equity! Important hearing 4/22

[Kevin Heaton]

***Please forward widely***

Dear health equity supporter,

I am a family physician in Boston and a member of the Massachusetts Coalition on Health Equity.

Our coalition was formed emergently in response to the Crisis Standards of Care released by the state on 4/7/20 regarding the possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelming hospital resources. These Crisis Standards of Care, as currently written, will potentially result in the withdrawal of life-saving care-- including mechanical ventilation-- from a disproportionate number of indigenous people, Black people, Latinx people, other communities of color, elders, immigrants, asylees, refugees, and those who are undocumented, uninsured, incarcerated, homeless, experiencing poverty, or living with disability. These communities already experience oppression and marginalization through structural racism, economic injustice, ageism, and ableism, which altogether perpetuate healthcare disparities when compared to those who are granted privilege in our society.

The Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services is currently in the process of revising the standards based on widespread concern about inequity in the current recommendations.

We are working to get more community involvement and guidance in pressuring Massachusetts HHS to address concerns around health care inequity. We are reaching out for feedback and thoughts from you.

Things you can do:

Speak out: Demand health equity!

There is a City Council hearing (zoom) regarding equitable ventilator access this Wednesday 4/22 at 2 pm:
https://www.boston.gov/public-notices/11565836

You can join the Coalition listserve through this link:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cscequity-ma/join

The coalition has scheduled a zoom meeting Monday night 4/20  at 7 pm.
Please let me know if you would be interested in attending.

Also I have included some background information below this email.

Please feel free to email me with thoughts/suggestions/feedback/questions.

In solidarity and struggle,

Lana Habash
Massachusetts Coalition on Health Equity
lanahabash2018 at gmail.com<mailto:lanahabash2018 at gmail.com>

Link to background information on Crisis Standards of care/Petition signed by over 460 health care workers:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13kGxuxmIIdxbo3X2Kh_i7ruyelSsXBzEiQRL73KK_Vc/edit?usp=sharing

Link to Massachusetts Coalition on Health Equity's most recent recommendations to Crisis Standards of Care Advisory Committee 4/17/20:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u1R-73YP8XLuAz5Pw3S4HlYt4D8LUpyzqC3AigNQDik/edit?usp=sharing