You made a difference – thank you! Because of your work, Senate Bill 1606 (formerly Legislative Concept 52) is one step closer to becoming law!
However our work is not yet done! We need your help again!
SB 1606 ensures that Oregonians experiencing disability can access healthcare, use support from people they trust while they are hospitalized and have support when making end of life decisions. This is an emergency bill and is directly related to the COVID-19 crisis. The changes in this bill need to happen today because people with disabilities are experiencing these barriers to health care today.
The most important thing you can do right now to ensure SB 1606 becomes law is to contact your local legislator and tell them that SB 1606 is important to you.
SB 1606 ensures people with disabilities have access to healthcare by:
- Mandating hospitals allow support people to patients as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, consistent with the order recently released by US Health and Human Services and current Oregon Health Authority guidelines.
- Ensuring that people can have support from people they choose if they are discussing lifesaving or end of life care.
- Ensuring health care providers do not condition providing treatment on a person having a POLST, advance directive or other instruction relating to the administration, withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining procedures or artificially administered nutrition.
How can you help?
First, decide what to say in your email, below is something to get you started:
Say your name and city where you live.
Start with something like “everyone deserves access to healthcare and support from people they trust to help them understand their care and communicate with doctors. Today, too many people experiencing disability are not able to access healthcare, are denied support from people they trust while they are hospitalized or having end of life discussions.”
Ask that SB 1606 pass this Special Session so that
Oregonians experiencing disability can access healthcare, use support from people they trust while they are hospitalized and have support when making end of life decisions.
Then say that this is an emergency and is directly related to the COVID-19 crisis. These changes cannot wait until next year because people with disabilities are experiencing these barriers to health care today.
Share a personal story about being denied access to healthcare, denied support in the hospital or being asked to sign documents without support people that you needed present, please say a few sentences about that.
If you have not been to the hospital recently, share what it would be like without SB 1606 if you could not have support people with you at the hospital or if you were asked to sign documents without support people you need.
Second, say thank you!
Type in your full address in the upper right hand corner, and a box will appear on the screen. In it, you’ll find three tabs. You’ll find out who your State Senator is, and if you click to the next tab, who your State Representative is.
