Dear Provider:
Thank you for risking your health for us.
As a higher weight person with a disability, I am scared of both COVID-19 and also triage protocols. My life is valuable. I don’t want to be denied treatment based on my weight or disability.
Denying or deprioritizing my care because of my disability or weight is discrimination. It is unlawful and unethical.
When making your decisions, please remember:
- Weight is a poor predictor of my individual health status, prognosis, quality of life, or life expectancy.
- Higher weight people, as a group, experience a health disparity because of documented weight bias, greater exposure to oppression, and lack of access to medical care. When this harm is then weaponized to justify denying us care due to “comorbidity,” the harm is amplified.
- My ability to heal is directly impacted by (a) your actions and (b) the knowledge that you might discriminate against me because of my disability, weight, race, gender identity, age, or other characteristics. I know that you entered this profession to help people, and I need your reassurance that you value my life and want me to survive.
You deserve life-saving equipment, and so do I.
NOTICE: You may have heard you have “liability immunity” during the pandemic, but that immunity does not apply in all circumstances. My life is valuable. There are people who care about me and depend on me. If you refuse to treat me because of my weight, disability, or age, you are causing irreparable harm to me and my loved ones.