The California Department of Public Health has now decided that if a “worst-case scenario” arises from the coronavirus, younger people and health care workers “vital to the acute care response” would be prioritized over others.
The 38-page document by the California Department of Public Health starts with a letter from Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health, in which she states of the guidelines:
Anchored in best practices from across the country, and guided by ethical principles and a commitment to equity, it provides a framework to help health care facilities and county health departments plan for the potential of a COVID-19 surge that is overwhelming. It aims to ensure that, should conditions push our systems into providing crisis care, we do so in a coordinated and thoughtful manner, using a common framework, procedures, and decision making that best protects the health of all Californians.
The guidelines state: “The ethical justification for incorporating the life-cycle principle is that it is a valuable goal to give individuals equal opportunity to pass through the stages of life — childhood, young adulthood, middle age, and old age. The justification for this principle does not rely on considerations of one’s intrinsic worth or social utility. Rather, younger individuals receive priority because they have had the least opportunity to live through life’s stages.” – READ MORE
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