On this Wednesday, April 8, episode of Sundial:
Disability rights during coronavirus
Hospitals and healthcare workers are doing their best to prepare for Florida’s peak of COVID-19 cases, which is predicted to happen in the next two weeks. The Miami Herald has reported Disability Rights Florida, a statewide advocacy nonprofit for individuals with disabilities, are worried that if Florida runs out of beds and ventilators, medical professionals will be forced to ration care, like we’ve seen in Italy.
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“Doctors are good actors and exist as a profession to help people,” says Tony DePalma, director of Public Policy for Disability Rights Florida. “We have no information or belief that treatment is changing as the medical community is considering these issues.”
DePalma and Carol Marbin Miller, deputy investigations editor for the Miami Herald, joined Sundial to talk about the concerns facing disabled people during this pandemic.
Read more: Coping With The Coronavirus: Resources For South Florida
How coronavirus impacts religious holidays
The coronavirus has changed the way people celebrate religious holidays around the globe.
During this time of year, Jews, Christians and Muslims are preparing for family seders, Easter prayer services and gatherings at their local mosques. WLRN wants to hear how you and your family are handling the spring holidays during the COVID-19 crisis, whether it’s Passover (which begins Wednesday night), Easter on Sunday or Ramadan. Let us know at talktous@wlrnnews.org.
Read more: Struggling Families Get Seder Help For Passover During The Coronavirus Outbreak
On today’s Sundial program we’ve gathered a panel of faith leaders: Rabbi Alvin Berkun, former rabbi emeritus of Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and now at Vi at Aventura, a senior living community; Father Frank O’Laughlin, a Catholic priest in Lake Worth who works directly with farmworkers in Palm Beach County; and Dr. Khalid Minhas, public affairs director for Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and a cardiologist at Jackson North and Jackson Main hospitals.
WLRN Sundial producer Chris Remington helped in the production of this episode.