Arizona Amends Virus Care Standards to Protect Disabled Patients

Doctors and other health-care providers in Arizona can no longer prioritize younger patients and those without disabilities during emergencies like Covid-19 after the state agreed to change its crisis standards of care, the HHS said Tuesday.

The announcement marks the tenth deal the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has reached over alleged discrimination against disabled people during the Covid-19 pandemic. The previous resolutions were made under the Trump administration.

The update to the guidelines came as a result of a complaint filed by the Arizona Center for Disability Law, the Arc of Arizona, and other ...