Five years ago, in the earliest days of the Covid pandemic, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts was established as a volunteer-driven to transform the provision of long-term services and care in the Commonwealth. Since that time, hundreds of individuals and organizations have used their collective voices and efforts to make a real difference through legislation, regulatory reform, […]
Category: Covid-19
Nonprofit QuarterlyBy James Lomastro, PhD, January 6, 2025Editor’s Note: James Lomastro is a member of the Dignity Alliance Massachusetts Coordinating Committee and is the Chair of several workgroups. Dignity in Action: From Institutional Failure to Decentralized Empowerment Forged amid the suffering, deaths, and neglect that prevailed in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, this peer-led […]
After Action Review of the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, U. S. House of RepresentativesDecember 4, 2024 The Select Subcommittee had bipartisan consensus across multiple topics. In addition to these notable bipartisan successes, the Select Subcommittee developed extensive findings, some of which include:
Hindenburg ResearchNovember 4, 2024 Summary:Hindenburg Research has released a scathing report alleging that PACS Group, a skilled nursing facility operator, has engaged in fraudulent practices to inflate revenue and profits. Key allegations include: Hindenburg’s report raises serious concerns about PACS’ business practices and its long-term viability. The company’s stock price has declined significantly following the […]
Documenting Our Disability History My name is Sandy Novack, and I have served on the Disability Policy Consortium Board of Directors since 2018. I am also the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy Committee. Last month, at the DPC annual awards event, I announced a history project that DPC plans to offer for people with disabilities […]
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Fire Thru Dry Grass
2025-01-14: The importance of Fire Thru Dry Grass “FIRE THROUGH DRY GRASS shines a light on the intersectionality of racism, ableism, classism, institutionalization and xenophobia within the American healthcare system. In this film, the protagonists—nursing home residents—rise up and demand change.” (from the presentation) Read the the Fire Thru Dry Grass presentation. The presentation demonstrates […]
By Paula Span, New York Times (free access), August 19, 2023 The first terrifying wave of Covid-19 caused 60,000 deaths among residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities within five months. As the pandemic wore on, medical guidelines called for promptly administering newly approved antiviral treatments to infected patients at high risk of […]
(Scroll down to read DignityMA testimony for this proposal.) The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued proposed amendments to regulations for long term care facilities and other providers aligning the flu and COVID-19 vaccine requirements for personnel, eliminating the mandate that all personnel be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine. Under the proposed amendments, personnel will […]
The following two letters were sent to Health System Leaders in Massachusetts, on the occasion of suspending masking requirements and covid protections in health care settings. Download the two letters, or read below from May 10, 2023 Open Letter on Masking, Patient Safety and Trust A call to suspend any end to universal masking and […]
SJC reinstates criminal charges against managers of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where 76 died early in pandemicBoston Globe, April 27, 2023By Ivy Scott and John R. Ellement Families of the veterans say the decision offers ‘a glimmer of hope’ as they prepare for the upcoming trial.The state’s highest court reinstated criminal charges on Thursday against Bennett […]