By Ashlie White, Chief Strategy and Programs Officer
From left to right are panelists: Sally Greenberg, Executive Director, National Consumers League; Ramsey Alwin, President and CEO, National Council on Aging; Patricia Nece, JD, Immediate Past Chair, Obesity Action Coalition; Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, Harvard Medical School; and Joe Nadglowski, President and CEO, Obesity Action Council
On January 31, 2024, Amputee Coalition Director of Communications and Partnerships, Shree Thaker and I attended an event at the National Press Club highlighting the Obesity Bill of Rights, the purpose of which is to empower all adults to demand the respect of their health providers regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and weight status and to be screened, diagnosed, counseled and effectively treated for their overweight and obesity based on medical treatment guidelines.
One of our most important responsibilities at the Amputee Coalition is to stay informed about healthcare policy developments, to understand the intersectionality, its potential impacts, and to ensure that the needs of the limb loss and limb difference community are considered and represented.
From left to right are Shree Thaker, Ashlie White, Patricia Nece, and Joe Nadglowski posing for a selfie photo at the end of the event.
When, Patricia Nece, JD, shared her lived experience with weigh bias, specifically a story about how she had not received an appropriate diagnosis or treatment for a severe knee condition which had become so bad she could no longer walk, I began to connect the dots on some of the challenges that have been shared with the Coalition by our community members.
We’ve heard reports from individuals who believe that they were assigned a lower activity level (K-level) as a result of weight bias and from others who feel that they did not receive an adequate prosthetic device to return to their desired activities of daily living because of their weight. At the Coalition, we recognize the importance of whole-person health and believe it’s important to address all biases in healthcare directly.
From left to right are Shree Thaker, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, and Ashlie White posing for a group photo at the end of the event.
During the meeting, I had an opportunity to ask the panelists (video below of full interaction) if they had explored the intersection of disability and obesity care access and what steps our organization could take to elevate the needs of the limb loss and limb difference community in this policy discussion. The panelists included Sally Greenberg, Executive Director, National Consumers League; Ramsey Alwin, President and CEO, National Council on Aging; Patricia Nece, JD, Immediate Past Chair, Obesity Action Coalition; Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, Harvard Medical School; and Joe Nadglowski, President and CEO, Obesity Action Council.
In response to our question, all the panelists agreed that more needs to be done to center the disability community in the conversation, which is exactly what we (AC) intend to do.
We encourage you to reach out and share your thoughts regarding the Obesity Bill of Rights and your experiences with weight bias in healthcare. Join us on AC Connect and start a discussion in the Advocacy community. For more information, please email Advocacy@Amputee-Coalition.org.