On February 2, 2022, the House Ways & Means Subcommittee held the hearing “Bridging Health Equity Gaps for People with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions.” Rupa Valdez, Ph.D. provided testimony that highlighted many of the areas that numerous patient advocacy organizations, including the Amputee Coalition, have recognized as challenges faced by individuals living disability community. Read more information about how the Disability & Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC) supports Dr. Valdez’s statement. The Amputee Coalition is a member of DRRC and agreed to sign on to the letter. The letter has the following three requests:
- Urging the Committee, Congress, and Administration to support enhanced disability collection across all federal initiatives.
- Government-wide collection and reporting of data on COVID disaggregated by disability status.
- Encourage Congress to recommend NIH and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to recognize and designate people with disabilities as a health disparity population as it pertains to federal research.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Zachary Hearn, Director of Government Relations, at zhearn@amputee-coalition.org.