Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office has suspended 120 New York State workers who serve people with developmental disabilities due to allegations of neglect and abuse of people under their care.
The employees, who work at residential facilities contracted through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), are being investigated for possible termination and potential criminal charges, according to news reports. Their pay has been suspended pending results of the investigation.
Cuomo announced plans to reform care agencies serving people with disabilities at an October 13 cabinet meeting. Cuomo said a review by his administration found that the agencies were using inconsistent standards for dealing with abuse, which he called “startling” and “troubling,” according to news reports. Cuomo’s office did return a request for comment at press time.
The suspensions follow a series of articles in The New York Times showing that removing staff who abuse clients is cumbersome and that neglect has continued at a facility where Jonathan Carey, a client, died four years ago.
Stephen Holmes, administrative director for the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, Inc. (SANYS) said his organization supports the suspensions and hopes they will give caring employees more confidence in reporting abuse.
“For too long, OPWDD’s process of dealing with employees who abuse the people they support has been ineffective. Employees who have abused have continued working in the same home or have been transferred to other homes,” Holmes said.
“OPWDD’s new policy of suspension and the intention to terminate employees who abuse is a People First decision. It is an important step in eliminating a culture that tolerates abuse,” he said.
In March, Cuomo appointed three new leaders to oversee state agencies that serve people with disabilities: Courtney Burke as commissioner of OPWDD, Roger Bearden as chair of the Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and Clarence Sundram as Special Advisor on Vulnerable Persons.
Several committees of the New York State Assembly held a hearing on the topic in June that included testimony from Shameka Andrews, co-director of policy for SANYS. Speaking on behalf of herself, Holmes and co-director of policy Clint Perrin, Andrews said SANYS is very concerned about the problems described in The New York Times but is also worried that the coverage presents a negative portrayal of all services.
“While we agree there are some serious troubles in some of OPWDD’s licensed services, it is also important to acknowledge there are also many successes and many people who are living good lives with various types and levels of support,” Andrews said. “We do not believe that the system is in disarray.”
This article was published in the November 2011 issue of Able News.
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