For many individuals living with disabilities, inaccessible vaccination websites have been a significant barrier to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Recent studies have found that many vaccination websites do not reliably meet accessibility ...
People who use electricity-dependent durable medical equipment (DME) at home—such as ventilators and oxygen concentrators—can face life-threatening consequences during a power outage. HHS reports that 2.7 million Medicare beneficiaries ...
The Louisiana Department of Health has developed Power Outage Partners, a first-of-its-kind program to recruit owners of stand-by residential generators to recharge the batteries of neighbors’ life support equipment during power outages.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the intersections of social determinants of health, such as transportation, education, and housing, and their impact on the health of individuals and communities. As the moratorium on evictions ends in ...
After a year and a half of work as embedded disability specialists, 5 program participants share their reflections on important lessons learned and why disability inclusion is critical to the future of emergency preparedness.
Pennsylvania introduced innovative processes to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities access COVID-19 vaccines and other critical care.
With Omicron surges pushing jurisdictions to activate protocols for providing healthcare during crisis, it is important to incorporate disability inclusion into these crisis standards of care.
Each video in this series focuses on a unique topic and features stories from ASTHO’s disability and preparedness specialists in the field. The videos demonstrate how they work to ensure information, testing, and COVID-19 vaccination sites ...
Better Defining Disability Will Make Data More Inclusive and Usable ASTHO, association of state and territorial health officials, access to health care, centers for disease control, syndromic surveillance systems, health outcomes, person ...
Following disruptions to daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency departments saw an increase of mental health-related visits. A June 2021 study showed a significant increase of mental health-related visits among ...
Deaf people—especially sign language users—are one community that is often overlooked and forgotten in public health communications, which are almost always caused by miscommunication or exclusivity. COVID-19 has shined a light on these ...
Information on disability status and type is not systematically collected during emergency department visits and, as such, it cannot be used during surveillance. ASTHO conducted six key informant interviews with disability professionals to ...
This infographic serves as a tool to foster conversations in health agencies around planning programs, policies, and activities to better serve individuals with disabilities. Available in English and Spanish.
Explore the Embedded series, a multi-part series featuring ASTHO’s 19 disability and preparedness specialists placed in jurisdictions nationwide.
This series explores the critical need for engagement of disability stakeholders and disability-led organizations as equity partners in public health preparedness.
This report provides guidance on boosting power outage support for people who use life support and other durable medical equipment devices.
This ASTHO report, which was co-authored with the World Institute on Disabilities, answers top questions around disability preparedness initiatives, and prioritizes inclusive planning while providing overarching guidance that can be ...
ASTHO has been helping jurisdictions prepare for and respond to the needs of people with disabilities during public health emergencies by embedding disability preparedness specialists in 16 state and 2 territorial health agencies.
Inclusive practices that prioritize the safety and well-being of all residents, regardless of age or ability, are essential in ensuring effective disaster preparedness and response.
People exposed to adverse childhood experiences are at risk for negative physical and/or mental health outcomes, substance use disorders, and unfavorable social outcomes in adulthood. One known risk factor for ACEs is caregiver stress, ...