Parents, advocates urge governor to reinvest in OPWDD services, stop facility closures MANHATTAN — Parents and advocates of individuals with developmental disabilities recently called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to reinvest in programs and services for these individuals and stop the closures of state facilities. OPWDD is closing down its four larger care facilities, including Brooklyn Developmental Center by the end of 2015 and Bernard Fineson in Queens by 2017, and transitioning to community-based services, that may or may not include state services. Families that have become accustomed to the high level of care provided at state OPWDD facilities now fear their loved ones’ care may be disrupted or reduced in the transition. “Governor Cuomo has ignored his most vulnerable New York constituents, the developmentally disabled,” said Tony Cosentino, whose son John is autistic and intellectually and developmentally disabled, nonverbal, and blind in his left eye. He has lived at the Brooklyn Developmental Center for 37 years, where he has received 24/7 professional care. “The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities continues to fail our family members,” Cosentino said. Rick Williams and his wife, Sandy, spoke about their son Ryan, who is 34 years old, blind, nonverbal and profoundly intellectually challenged due to Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC) that requires 24/7 care. The Williamses noted the Broome Developmental Center in Binghamton was a lifeline for Ryan and their family and credited staff with providing a high level of care Parents and advocates of individuals with developmental disabilities call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reinvest in programs and services and stop the OPWDD closures. and services that helped Ryan thrive and to walk and feed himself. “Closing our developmental centers and eliminating services and choices is devastating to all individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to those who seek services for them,” said Rick Williams. “The federal government, OPWDD and Governor Cuomo are abandoning their responsibilities. This is disastrous.” State-operated OPWDD services play a critical role in the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with developmental disabilities, parents and advocates maintain. Individuals needing services should be able to transition into the community while still being taken care of by employees they know and trust. OPWDD services should be readily available and encompass a multitude of options including community based and state based care. “We’re proud to join these parents as they advocate for services for their children,” said CSEA Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett. “We’re also extremely proud of the professional services our members provide throughout OPWDD.” — David Galarza CSEA to state: Help us make OPWDD better ALBANY — CSEA is urging the state to follow the union’s lead in reinvesting in state programs and services for people with developmental disabilities, to create a new, transformational model of care that will improve the transition of services into the community. At the core of CSEA’s push for a new model are the families of developmentally disabled individuals receiving care as they grapple with finding alternatives to state-operated facilities that are being closed. “Our members know better than anybody what needs to be done to make sure the individuals requiring care and their families’ needs are met during this critical period,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “We have a more consistent, stable work force in this area with an average of 17 years of service. To simply disregard that experience and knowledge would be unwise and misguided.” The state Office of People With Developmental Disabilities is shedding its larger care facilities, and transitioning to community-based services, often provided by not-for-profit corporations. Families are concerned that the high level and quality of care their loved ones currently receive could be diminished by the changes taking place. Over the past two months, OPWDD has held public forums throughout the state. Parents across the state expressed their concerns about their loved ones. Mandatory overtime, lack of investment in staff, barriers caused by the Justice Center and the inadequate wages offered to direct care staff in the private care facilities all need to be addressed if the transition is to occur smoothly and the highest level of care maintained. “Not-for-profits continue to pay salaries that are far less than what the state offers. As a result, turnover rates of workers in the not-for-profit sector have averaged 40 percent. These workers tend not to pursue a career in this field because the pay is too low. High turnover rates compromise the quality of care to higher-need individuals who require intensive medical and behavioral services,” CSEA delivered testimony to the New York State Assembly Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities on Oct. 20. “Quality care hinges on employees having the necessary support to work with the developmentally disabled. Something must be done to retain staff so workers aren’t forced out of this field,” the union’s testimony said. 6 The Work Force December 2015
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