Four New York state senators have called on the chairman of the powerful Investigations and Government Operations Committee to begin an investigation into a deadly mandate of co-mingled COVID-19 residents in group homes, where 552 have died.
An additional 32 care workers who were forced into the infectious homes have also died, according to records from the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which oversees group homes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s April 10, 2020 order placed infected patients in the state’s more than 7,000 group homes, similar to a nursing home policy. The policy resulted in 6,382 disabled residents and 10,311 workers contracting COVID-19.
Numerous employees told the Washington Examiner that no facilities exist to separate the sick residents, who mingle with other members of the household and staff, using the same restroom, living room, and kitchen. Those same employees said they had a texting network of colleagues throughout the agency and knew of no one who wanted to work in a COVID-19-infected home, rather, they claimed they and their coworkers were tricked and threatened into doing so.
COVID INFECTS 10,311 GROUP HOME RESIDENTS, KILLING 32
The letter was addressed to Sen. James Skoufis and written by Sen. Anthony Palumbo, who is also on the Investigations and Government Operations Committee. It was co-signed by members of the Mental Health and Disabilities Committees: James Tedisco, Mike Martucci, and Fred Akshar.
“Individuals residing in OPWDD group homes were three times more likely to contract COVID-19 and three times more likely to die from it compared to the general population of New York,” Palumbo wrote. “A report also asserts that group homes received inadequate COVID-19 guidance from OPWDD, leading to logistical challenges and almost certainly allowing COVD positive residents and staff to return to group homes.”
Palumbo told the Washington Examiner that he would like to call top government decision-makers as witnesses, such as OPWDD Commissioner Theodore Kastner. Group homes were not given the same priority as nursing homes, so staff worked without extra hazard pay, and locating protective equipment was a challenge, he said.
“To date, OPWDD has resisted calls for greater transparency regarding the release of data related to group homes,” Palumbo wrote. “Prior to the release of the full nursing home data, the Cuomo Administration released misleading statistics regarding the number of deaths in nursing homes. We must come together as New Yorkers and demand that OPWDD be transparent about their conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Martucci said in a statement that the Investigations Committee has the power to reassert legislative oversight into the matter.
“Governor Cuomo has created a culture of corruption, secrecy, and abuse,” Martucci said. “It’s time for the Legislature to step up and hold him accountable for all of his misdeeds, but in particular his order that exposed our developmentally and intellectually disabled citizens to this deadly virus.”
OPWDD spokeswoman Jennifer O’Sullivan said the agency has been completely transparent about coronavirus data and has held weekly calls with stakeholders throughout the pandemic in which data is routinely released. She also denied a mandate of co-mingling residents and said no one has been forced to work in an infected house.
“That is just patently false and absolutely demeaning to the 100,000 direct care professionals in New York State who show up to do their job every day because they not only are passionate about what they do, but they care about the people they support,” O’Sullivan said.
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Cuomo initially reported in July that 6,432 nursing home patients died during the pandemic. The correct number is 15,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Palumbo does not have any statistics showing a different count for group home deaths. However, he said he was concerned over OPWDD’s claims that infected residents were quarantined into a separate facility when numerous employees had come forward to say that was not true.
