Demanding accountability for LGBTQ+ elders with disabilities
On July 15, SAGE sent a letter to U.S. officials Secretary Alex M Azar II, Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield, Administrator Seema Verma, and Director David R. Wright demanding that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) take quick and essential action to correct its mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis for healthcare workers and people with disabilities.
Led by the ACLU, SAGE joined disability rights organizations in calling out the failure of the federal government to respond appropriately to the risk COVID-19 presents for people with disabilities in communal settings such as nursing homes, group homes for individuals with disabilities, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and psychiatric facilities. The petition notes that nursing home deaths comprised at least 27% of the total COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., and outlines the serious shortcomings of the HHS’s response to the pandemic in these facilities.
