BADD all over
Instead of responding to that last thread tonight, I want to wander around and read what other contributors to the Blogging Against Disablism Day extravaganza have said. The gateway to everybody's posts is at Goldfish's place. I count 119 participants over there so far.
Also, there's exciting stuff happening in Washington, DC, this week. ADAPT has been fundraising, protesting, getting arrested, working for support for hearings on the Community Choice Act (CCA, S 799 and H.R. 1621). The purpose of the bill is to break the control of the powerful nursing home lobby on Medicaid funding for long-term care. As the law currently stands, many people are forced into institutions to receive funding assistance for nursing care that they could receive at home. I'll write more on this soon, but follow the ongoing ADAPT Action here.
Visual description: The image above belongs to ADAPT, an acronym that used to stand for American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit before the passage of the ADA. The acronym now stands for American Disabled For Attendant Programs Today. The image shows a wheelchair stick person reminiscent of the universal access symbol except her arms are upraised and breaking the chain binding them together. The acronym looms large in the background in bright blue.
2 comments:
Kay, hi, it's me, Robin. I know you were covering the Texas futility law and there's an update. I've been tracking senate Health and Human Services and that bill came up again in committee yesterday, known as the "advanced directives bill", amazingly, the author is a physician, Senator/Dr. Deuell, and this is his compromise, what do you think?
The new substitute extends transfer from 10 to 21 days, it extends the period in which the ethics committee has to contact a family from two to seven days, provides a patient liaison, provides an advocate to be with the families during ethics hearings, adds a process for judicial appeal, gives families free copies of medical records, provides for a second medical opinion, and allows hydration and nutrition support to continue regardless of other factors.
So basically, instead of unplugging the patient from life support after ten days they have 21 days, and these provisions to step in and try to forestall the process. And it looks like it all depends on having a family or loved one to fight for the dying patient. Big if.
Anyway, just thought I'd pass it on, the bill still has to go to the floor for approval, I'll keep my eye on it.
Thanks for the update, Robin.
I am not clear on why it's called the Advanced Directives Bill, but it seems like a step in the right direction. Still, as you point out, someone without relatives or local friends or health advocates is pretty much SOL. The assumption seems to be that the patient herself does not have any particular concerns that need addressing and that not cutting off her life support for an extra 11 days is nothing to do with her, just the family. No family, no concerns, therefore.
Post a Comment