Christine Getman, a woman with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, was subjected to a traumatic hospital stay and denied access to her caregiver because of coronavirus policies. Mark Graves/Staff
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Jayati Ramakrishnan | The Oregonian/OregonLive
In early April, Christine Getman had been quarantined for three weeks when she developed a bad headache — the kind she’d only had once before in her life.
“I immediately knew the type of headache it was,” she said. “It was bacterial meningitis.”
What followed was a hospital stay that shed a light on the strain the coronavirus pandemic has placed on people with chronic illnesses as they try to access care, both during health emergencies and in meeting their daily needs.
OHSU’s no-visitor policy during the pandemic meant Getman, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, had to navigate her stay in the hospital alone, without her fiancé, who is also her full-time caregiver. The issue is one other Oregonians with disabilities have faced since the pandemic started, according to Emily Cooper, a lawyer for Disability Rights Oregon.
“I could inundate [...]