“Community engagement via restorative justice to build equity-oriented crisis standards of care”

The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic has revealed multiple structural inequities within the United States (US), with high social vulnerability index communities shouldering the brunt of death and disability of this pandemic. BIPOC/Latinx people have undergone hospitalizations and death at magnitudes greater than White people in the US. The untold second casualties are health care workers that are suffering from increased risk of infection, death, and mental health crisis. Many health care workers are abandoning the profession all together. Although Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) mean to guide the ethical allocation of scare resources, they frequently use scoring systems that are inherently biased. This raises concern for the application of equity in CSC. Data examining the impact of these protocols on health equity is scarce. Structural maltreatment in healthcare and inequities have led to cumulative harms, physiologic weathering and structural adversities for residents of the US. We propose the use of Restorative Justice (RJ) practices to develop CSC rooted in inclusion and equity. The RJ framework utilizes capacity building, circle process, and conferences to convene groups in a respectful environment for dialogue, healing, accountability, and action plan creation. A phased, non-faith-based facilitated RJ approach for CSC development (or revision) that fosters ethically equitable resource distribution, authentic community engagement, and accountability is shared. This opportunity for local, inclusive decision making and problem solving will both reflect the needs and give agency to community members while supporting the dismantling of structural racism and oppressive, exclusive policies. The authors are asking legislative and health system policy makers to adopt Restorative Justice practices for Crisis Standards of Care development. The US cannot afford to have additional reductions in inhabitant lifespan or the talent pool within healthcare.