The Center, together with a broad cross section of the disability, aging, and civil rights organizations, urged the Commonwealth to prioritize individuals with disabilities, older adults, and others at higher risk of death from the virus, in its vaccine allocation strategy, and to work with these constituencies in the ongoing development and implementation of those plans.
Coalition members recommend that phase one of the Commonwealth’s allocation plan: 1) include individuals with disabilities, and particularly those with mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and others with serious comorbid conditions, among the populations at increased risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19; 2) use distribution models that prioritize people in settings that increase risk of transmission and death, including elderly/disabled housing, congregate group homes, institutions, long term care settings, and jails and prisons; 3) designate personal care attendants, home health aides, direct support professionals, and other providers of home and community-based services among front line health care and essential workers; 4) ensure accessible communications and vaccine delivery methods; and, to the greatest extent possible, 5) prioritize communities hardest hit by the virus.
You can read the Coalition’s letter here.
Additional resources on vaccine allocation, including federal recommendations, draft state plans, and responses from the advocacy community can be found on the Center’s vaccine landing page here.