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Month: May 2020

Letters, Comments, and Communications put out by CCDC

Communication from CCDC and partner organizations – listed by date.

    1. 6/02 •  Statement of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
    2. 6/02 •  “I still do not have the right words.” A message of the commitment to diversity and solidarity with other causes.
    3. 5/12 •  What does safer-at-home mean for you and CCDC?
    4. 5/08 •  Governor Called on to Stop COVID-19 From Becoming a Death Sentence for People in Prisons
    5. 5/07 •  Budget: Process, Updates, and Cuts
    6. 4/30 •  CCDC Response to proposed budget cuts 2020 -2021 state budget
    7. 4/27 •  Budget shortfall and the consequences on services and benefits
    8. 4/01 • Equitable, Life-saving Care for People with Disabilities in Our State during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The COLORADO Ethics Example for our Nation
    9. 3/25 •  Survival of People with Disabilities during COVID-19 Pandemic (Español)
    10. 3/24 •  Calming Ourselves & Building Our Power
    11. 3/15 •  The Coronavirus & People with Disabilities

  2. 6/3 • Statement of Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement

    The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition stands with the Black Lives Matters movement to bear witness to the pain of centuries of racial oppression, inequity and white supremacy intensified by recent brutal actions including but not limited to the murder of George Floyd, the flaunting of white privilege by Amy Cooper, and the recent executions of Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.    (continue reading)

  3. 6/2 • “I still have not found the right words.”

    Dear CCDC Members: I have long admired the work of the National Federation of the Blind.  I have been at a loss for words and thinking about what to say that is meaningful in light of all that is going on.  I still have not found the right words, but the message from the president of NFB is important and I think this is relevant for all disability groups.   (continue reading)

 

Versión en Español

Governor Called on to Stop COVID-19 From Becoming a Death Sentence for People in Prisons

CCDC has signed on to this letter with other coalition partners

May 8, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Vanessa Michel, Director of Communications, Office: 720-402-3112
Deanna Hirsch, Media Strategist, Office: 720-402-3122

DENVER – As COVID-19 outbreaks continue to climb in Colorado prisons, several organizations called on Governor Polis today to assert his executive authority and clemency powers to protect the most vulnerable people in prisons before it’s too late. In a letter sent to the Governor, the organizations cited new data proving that his actions to date are insufficient to protect the lives of elderly and medically compromised people in prisons, correctional staff and the community at large.

“It is clear that the [Governor’s] Executive Order was insufficient to address the crisis and that further action is needed now, before more deaths come. We urge you to exercise your substantial power to safely release as many incarcerated people as possible, most particularly incarcerated people who, due to their age and/or medical conditions, are at serious risk of sickness or death from COVID-19. Without your actions, widespread illness, hospitalizations and deaths are inevitable.”

The letter goes on to say that while Colorado’s COVID-19 curve may be flattening for those who are free, the public health crisis is reaching a fever pitch for people who are incarcerated. Testing at the Sterling Correctional Facility, now the site of the state’s 2nd largest COVID-19 outbreak, has confirmed that at least 278 people there — 266 incarcerated people and 12 staff members — have tested positive for the virus, many of whom are asymptomatic. At four other U.S. state prisons, 96% of the nearly 3,300 people who tested positive also showed no symptoms for the virus, further illustrating that simply isolating those who seem sick from those who appear well is not enough to halt the spread. At least one man died from contracting COVID-19 at Sterling — he was 86-years-old.

The ACLU and eight criminal justice and indigent defense organizations sent a letter to the Governor on March 17 urging him to take decisive action to depopulate prisons and jails. The Governor later issued an Executive Order, which granted Colorado Department of Corrections Director Dean Williams the broad authority to consider releasing more than 7,000 people. But that order has been ineffective. More than a month after the Governor’s executive order was issued, the CDOC has only released around 200 people, with over 16,000 remaining behind bars and prisons still at over 90% capacity. So far, at least 25 CDOC staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 and 57 are on leave related to possible symptoms or exposure. These numbers, like those at other facilities around the country, are almost certainly a dramatic undercount of the number of infected staff members statewide.

Today’s letter makes specific recommendations for actions by Governor Polis that would substantially and safely reduce the prison population. In following these recommendations, Polis would join the ranks of Governors from a dozen states who have worked to release thousands of incarcerated people on an emergency basis to mitigate disaster, including New York, Kentucky and Maryland. In Colorado, the numbers prove that left to its own devices, the CDOC has not effectively and substantially reduced the prison population and the Governor must intervene.

“Colorado just abolished the death penalty. We cannot keep elderly and medically vulnerable Coloradans incarcerated in prisons that are likely to become their death traps.”

The signatories of the letter are the: Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Physician’s for Criminal Justice Reform, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Center for Health Progress, Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Black Lives Matters 5280, Colorado Lawyers Committee, Office of Alternate Defense Counsel, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Civil Rights Education & Enforcement Center, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Working Families Party, Lawyers Civil Rights Coalition, Second Chance Center, Colorado Freedom Fund, Criminal Justice Act Panel Standing Committee and ACLU of Colorado.

ACLU Website regarding Governor Called on to Stop COVID-19 From Becoming a Death Sentence for People in Prisons

The ACLU of Colorado is the state’s oldest civil rights organization, protecting and defending the civil rights of all Coloradans through litigation, education and advocacy.View this press release on our website at: https://aclu-co.org/governor-called-on-to-stop-covid-19-from-becoming-a-death-sentence-for-people-in-prisons/

Vanessa Michel
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Director of Communications
American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado
303 E 17th Ave., Denver, CO 80203
(720) 402-3112 | vmichel@aclu-co.org
www.aclu-co.org

Bennet, Gardner Call for Relief for States Grappling with Increased Demand for Medicaid Coverage Due to COVID-19

Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D) and Cory Gardner (R) sent a letter to House and Senate leadership urging an increased federal match for state Medicaid programs as they expand coverage and services due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting budgetary crisis until the economy recovers. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the senators emphasized that an increase to Medicaid’s federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) rate for states will be essential as they work to provide health care for millions of Americans who are and will become eligible for Medicaid as unemployment rates rise during the crisis.
“States are grappling with both the increase in demand for Medicaid coverage due to COVID-19 and a budgetary crisis from their COVID-19 response and lost revenue. Based on some current economic forecasts, states will likely face budget shortfalls that exceed $500 billion over the next several years, not including direct COVID-19 costs,” Bennet and Gardner wrote in the letter. 
 
To provide relief for state budgets which have been negatively impacted by the economic downturn, the senators called for an increase to Medicaid’s FMAP, a call that has been echoed by the bipartisan National Governors Association. Increasing the federal government’s share of Medicaid expenditures could provide expeditious relief for states, enabling them to best serve the unique needs of Medicaid beneficiaries and providers.
 
“While federal assistance provided to date is a useful first step, the state of Colorado has indicated it is not sufficient to cover the funding shortfall caused by COVID-19 that could lead to harmful budget cuts for state programs, like Medicaid…we must ensure that there is increased and continuous support in place to ensure that states have the capability to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and adequately reimburse providers as this protracted crisis continues,” they continued. “We strongly support funding mechanisms for states that assist with a glide path back to prosperity until the economy returns to pre-crisis conditions.”
“We request that you consider policies, like the FMAP increase, that would support state budgets as they grapple with the impact and costs of COVID-19,” the senators concluded.
 
“Our state has been working around to the clock to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and we must ensure that hardworking Coloradans in our urban, suburban and rural communities who rely on Medicaid for healthcare are not left behind. This crisis has created unique challenges for our health care system and requires a strong federal partnership with states,” said Governor Jared Polis.
 
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Text of the letter sent to the Federal leaders

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy:
We request an increase to Medicaid’s federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) rate to support the State of Colorado’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) response and recovery in the next legislative package. As states grapple with the impact of COVID-19, an increase to the FMAP could provide a potentially expeditious avenue to relief for state budgets.
COVID-19 has created both a public health and economic crisis and more needs to be done to address the unique needs of Medicaid beneficiaries and providers. As unemployment rates rise, Medicaid programs will be called upon to enroll millions of additional people in health care coverage who might otherwise be uninsured. Medicaid currently covers many of those at greatest risk from the virus, including many seniors and individuals with disabilities, and this coverage comes with unique challenges. For example, in our home state of Colorado, congregate care facilities for the elderly including nursing homes are responsible for more than forty percent of Colorado COVID-19 deaths. Colorado’s Medicaid program is working to increase rates for those providers to have the capacity for precautionary measures to protect the health of their residents. COVID-19 also causes challenges to the safe provision of home and community-based services, which are critical for many Medicaid beneficiaries.
States are grappling with both the increase in demand for Medicaid coverage due to COVID-19 and a budgetary crisis from their COVID-19 response and lost revenue. Based on some current economic forecasts, states will likely face budget shortfalls that exceed $500 billion over the next several years, not including direct COVID-19 costs. To address those threats to critical services and protect jobs, we continue to support robust funding to ensure further flexible fiscal relief for states and local governments in the next legislative response.
While federal assistance provided to date is a useful first step, the state of Colorado has indicated it is not sufficient to cover the funding shortfall caused by COVID-19 that could lead to harmful budget cuts for state programs, like Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office and other forecasters now project high unemployment rates lasting at least through 2021, and we must ensure that there is increased and continuous support in place to ensure that states have the capability to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and adequately reimburse providers as this protracted crisis continues.
We strongly support funding mechanisms for states that assist with a glide path back to prosperity until the economy returns to pre-crisis conditions. The bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) has called for a nationwide 12 percent FMAP increase, plus an additional increase with modifications for high-unemployment states; NGA has also requested that federal relief remain continuous until national unemployment rates show strong signs of recovery. We request inclusion of similar policies to support Medicaid beneficiaries and providers and any other policies to support our most vulnerable.
We request that you consider policies, like the FMAP increase, that would support state budgets as they grapple with the impact and costs of COVID-19.
Thank you for considering our views.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
Cory Gardner
United States Senator
CC: Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin
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