How Crisis standards of care may lead to Intersectional Medical Discrimination Against COVID-19 Patients

It's important to acknowledge that Black, Indigenous and People of Color, disabled people, higher-weight people, and older adults have historically and are currently experiencing discrimination by medical professionals. This longstanding issue has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis where healthcare professionals are forced to make decisions on how to distribute scarce resources and treatment to critically ill patients. When internal bias' such as racism, colorism, ableism, etc. interfere with these decisions, it can have harmful and even deadly consequences.

In response to this pressing dilemma, a coalition of civil rights groups and legal scholars announced the release of a new report: “Examining How Crisis Standards of Care May Lead to Intersectional Medical Discrimination Against COVID-19 Patients.” This report explains what crisis standards of care are and how these standards are applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors of the report also outlined the principles that should apply to crisis standards of care to prevent discrimination and the civil rights laws that apply to the use of crisis standards of care. They even recommend strategies to ensure the non-discriminatory application of crisis standard of care guidelines. This report also provides personal stories of individuals who have experienced discrimination to further illustrate the point that these standards have been violated as recently as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We encourage you to read this report and share it with everyone you know in the healthcare field to help prevent internal bias from harming and/or resulting in the death of marginalized individuals seeking medical care.

Read the report here.

References:

Chin, N. M., & Harris, J., Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Arc of the United States, Center for Public Representation, Justice in Aging, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, National Disability Rights Network, & Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (2021). Examining how crisis standards of care may lead to intersectional medical discrimination against COVID-19 patients. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. https://www.ndrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FINAL-Intersectional-Guide-Crisis-Care-2- 10-21.pdf