The Department of Health and Social Services’ (DHSS) buildings are now closed to individuals who do not have appointments with DHSS personnel. There are exceptions for crisis services, emergency cases and people without phone or computer access.
The chairman of the National Council on Disability and a former administrator in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights write that health care professionals and policymakers should not consider disability as a disqualifying factor when rationing health care. They argue that many, including physicians, do not understand that having a disability does not necessarily impair one’s quality of life and often does not affect one’s length of life.
The U.S. Labor Department has issued a rule that may offer qualifying parental caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as many as 14 weeks of paid leave. The rule clarifies language identifying populations who are eligible for paid leave under the COVID-19 stimulus bill.
Indian River School District (IRSD) has formed a community advisory board as a step in its agreement with a coalition of organizations that sued the district for disproportionately placing black students in G.W. Carver Academy. Carver, an alternative school for children with academic, behavioral or personal needs, will be closed by 2020 as part of the consent order, with students transitioning to their home schools or least restrictive environment.
The Trump administration declared that a major disaster exists in Delaware, which gives the state government, as well as some local governments and certain nonprofits, access to federal funds. These can be used for emergency response measures such as constructing temporary hospitals. Delaware joins Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 32 other states that are currently considered to be experiencing a major disaster.
