{"id":474152,"date":"2021-03-01T05:25:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T13:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/?p=474152"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:19:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:19:17","slug":"2-28-joint-letter-to-community-vaccine-advisory-committee-ca-department-of-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2021\/03\/01\/2-28-joint-letter-to-community-vaccine-advisory-committee-ca-department-of-health\/","title":{"rendered":"2\/28 Joint Letter to Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, CA Department of Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Below is a joint letter written and organized by the\u00a0Disability Justice League-Bay Area<\/a>\u00a0submitted as public comment to the\u00a0Community Vaccine Advisory Committee<\/a>, California Department of Public Health, on February 28, 2021. The Disability Justice League-Bay Area<\/a>\u00a0is QTIPOC disabled group committed to cross-movement organizing through direct action, engagement, and critical advocacy.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

This is the fourth letter in a series by a coalition of groups. Here is the third letter submitted on February 14, 2021<\/a> and the second letter submitted as public comment<\/a>\u00a0on December 22, 2020 from FatRose.org.<\/p>\n

Take Action<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. If YOU have questions or concerns on vaccine equity, you can\u00a0send your written public comments<\/strong>\u00a0to the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee:\u00a0COVID19VaccineOutreach@cdph.ca.gov<\/li>\n
  2. You can\u00a0attend their upcoming meetings<\/strong> on March 3 and March 17, 2021 and review their past meetings\u2019 presentations, agendas, and written public comments here: https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/Community-Vaccine-Advisory-Committee.aspx<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Send a message to the Governor<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and your\u00a0local elected representatives<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Share your story on social media<\/strong>\u00a0with the hashtags\u00a0#HighRiskCA<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0#NoBodyIsDisposable<\/a>\u00a0and tag\u00a0@GavinNewsom<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0@CAPublicHealth<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Are you delaying important medical care, treatment, or testing while you wait for the vaccine?\u00a0Participate in community surveys<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on delayed care or avoidable death by the\u00a0No Body Is Disposable coalition<\/a>\u00a0and share with others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Additional Resources<\/h4>\n

    COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization Dashboard<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities<\/a><\/p>\n

    Action Toolkit for Vaccine Equity for National and State policymakers,<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Senior Disability Action, No Body Is Disposable Coalition, the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and others<\/p>\n

    Vaccine Equity memes<\/strong><\/a>, Disability Visibility Project<\/p>\n

    Background on vaccine access in California<\/strong><\/a>, No Body Is Disposable Coalition<\/p>\n

    Collection of news, resources, and Tweets from #HighRiskCA<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Whose Underlying Conditions Count for Priority in Getting the Vaccine?<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Liz Bowen, Scientific American<\/p>\n

    FAQ \u2013 Covid-19, Vaccines, and Californians with Disabilities,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0DREDF<\/p>\n

    Elevated COVID-19 Mortality Risk Among Recipients of Home and Community-Based Services: A Case for Prioritizing Vaccination for This Population<\/strong><\/a>, Dr. H. Stephen Kaye, DREDF<\/p>\n

    New Analysis of COVID-19 Mortality Risk for Californians with Disabilities Under Age 65,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Dr. H. Stephen Kaye, DREDF<\/p>\n

    \n

    Audio version<\/h4>\nhttps:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/disability_visibility\/content.blubrry.com\/disability_visibility\/DJLPublicComment4Final.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

    Final Submitted Version, February 28th, 2021<\/strong><\/h4>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Community Vaccine Advisory Committee<\/span><\/p>\n

    California Department of Public Health<\/span><\/p>\n

    COVID19VaccineOutreach@cdph.ca.gov<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Dear California Department of Public Health and California Community Vaccine Advisory Committee Members and Staff:<\/span><\/p>\n

    On March 15th, 2021, California will open eligibility to <\/span>specified people with high risk disabilities and medical conditions<\/b><\/a>. We urge the state to use this critical time to ensure California is prepared to roll out the vaccine in ways that (1) prioritize accessibility and equity, (2) reduce barriers to vaccination, (3) engender trust and confidence from communities that have been subject to bias, trauma, and violence from public health systems, (4) expand the definition of people with high risk disabilities\/conditions, and (5) ensure all people with high risk disabilities\/conditions will be prioritized, including all immunocompromised people, before opening eligibility to the lower-risk public.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Note:<\/b> When <\/span>we<\/b> refer to <\/span>people with high risk disabilities\/conditions it\u2019s inclusive of people who are fat and\/or have high risk disabilities and medical conditions, chronically ill and immunocompromised individuals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    We have divided our equity-related feedback into three themes: Transparency, Accessibility, and Policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Transparency:<\/b><\/h4>\n