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March 30, 2020

Medical neglect in psychiatric institutions

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people in nursing homes, psychiatric institutions, prisons, and other group settings are trapped without the ability to protect themselves by practicing social distancing from others, and their health is at risk from those bringing the virus in from outside. Zoe Gross, Director of Operations at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, criticizes a Spokesman-Review article written by Martha Bellisle. The article highlights the infection risk to workers at a psychiatric institution, but does not discuss the safety of patients as a priority, portraying them not as people in need of protection, but as ‘occupational hazards’ to the people whose safety matters more.