Public Hearings Held in New York to Explore ‘Care and Safety Measures’ in Group Homes

The New York Times has spent more than a year investigating New York state’s management of residential facilities and group homes. A March 12 article on state-run homes (NYT: At State-Run Homes, Abuse and Impunity) now has the attention of state leaders, who have announced public hearings on the matter this month.

Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, has announced a series of public hearings aimed at “carefully examining the quality of care and safety measures in homes for individuals with developmental disabilities.” The hearings will explore state and regulatory oversight and investigative policies regarding incident reporting. The hearings will be conducted by Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, who chairs the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, chair of the Committee on Codes and Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, chair of the Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation.

The first of four hearings was held June 3 in Buffalo, N.Y. TASH urges New York residents to make their voices heard during these hearings, and to alert family members, friends and colleagues. Additional public hearings this month include:

Thursday, June 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Little Theater, Roosevelt Hall
Famingdale State College, SUNY
2350 Broadhollow Road
Farmingdale, NY

Friday, June 10, at 10:30 a.m.
Assembly Hearing Room 1923
250 Broadway
Manhattan, NY

Monday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m.
Hamilton Hearing Room B
Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY

Additional details can be found in a press release from assembly speaker Silver. Please also read yesterday’s post on another article from The New York Times investigating New York’s state-run institutions and reports of widespread abuse and mismanagement.