COVID-19 testing in Oregon remains insufficient

The COVID-19 crisis creates countless opportunities for persons with disabilities to be experience abuse or neglect especially those who reside in institutions. Identification and treatment of the virus are two areas.

We have received reports that people with disabilities in Oregon are being denied or having tests delayed due to the lack of availability of tests to respond to the demand.

DRO led our sister Protection & Advocacy organizations across the country to raise concerns about bias and investigate the response to the virus of three federal agencies. We’ve asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to share key data with us, including:

• The number of tests that have been distributed in each state, where those tests were distributed within the state, and when those test were made available to test recipients;

• All known formal or informal policies and practices used by the CDC, states and localities, that reflect the criteria being used to determine who receives the tests, when they receive the tests, and whether there are differences among providers, regions, states, and more local geographic or service provision areas;

• All available demographic statistical information, especially the known disability of persons who have been tested, or if disability is not asked.

Resources

• Joint Letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (March 20, 2020)

• Press Release  (March 30, 2020)