WBUR (April 20) After Uproar, Mass. Revises Guidelines on Who Gets an ICU Bed or Ventilator Amid COVID-19 Surge Massachusetts is revising the previously released guidelines hospital staff would use to decide who would get a ventilator and who would not during a potential surge of COVID-19 patients.
The changes are in response to an uproar from many in the disability and minority communities who worried they would be penalized for ailments that are the result of health disparities or issues that don’t affect their chances of long-term survival.
This might include someone who has been living a productive life while on oxygen support for decades, or a black patient with asthma made worse by where they live.