The case for de-institutionalization in the COVID-19 era

This photo is not related to ALEH [Image Source]

A friend of mine is on the Aleh supporters mailing list. She shares some of what she gets from them with me. Consequently, I am privy to the obfuscations and deceptions that are routinely disseminated therein.

As I type this, I'm still grappling with their latest one. It describes Aleh's residents as "hundreds of immunocompromised children and young adults with severe complex disabilities".

At about the same time that went out, the dogged Aleh PR team posted a video clip on its Facebook page demonstrating that many of the residents at Aleh Gedera are actually far from "severe, complex cases of disability". They undoubtedly could and should be integrated into Israel's general community and living in family settings just as UNICEF and the The Lancet unequivocally call upon ALL states to do (as I argue in my most recent post: "To the Government of Israel: Listen to The Lancet").

Now, more than ever, during this pandemic, that move is urgent. As has been documented and as I wrote in my previous blog post, the most risky place for immunocompromised people to be is in a large, closed institutional setting.

The following local statistics make this abundantly clear.

Following repeated requests by me to Israel's Ministry of Labor and Welfare for an update of COVID-19 infections in institutions for people with disabilities, I finally received one yesterday:

39 frameworks of the disabilities administration have been quarantined due to exposure to a confirmed sick person since the start of the Corona outbreak, a total of 147 staff members and 283 residents have been diagnosed as ill. These statistics refer to the total of the frameworks under the supervision of the Ministry of Labor and Welfare. We note that for segmented data and information you must apply to/turn to the Unit for Freedom of Information.

I had specifically requested the inclusion of the number of deaths from COVID-19 as well but, as you see, it was specifically omitted. 

So I re-requested that number and yesterday received this response:

To date, 8 patients are known to the Disabilities Administration in the Ministry to have passed away due to Corona. For further information you must apply to the Unit for Freedom of Information.

Don't these numbers make the case for de-institutionalization in Israel a slam dunk??