BW04262020 - Page 4

4 BROOKLYN WEEKLY, APRIL 26, 2020 NURSE of the hundreds who has died from the virus. While no one knows exactly how Bass contracted the virus, coworkers assume he caught it from a patient at Coney Island Hospital — and suspect that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the facility could have played a role. “My assumption is that it was directly related to bad PPE policy,” said one coworker who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “If you come into the ER, it’s in the air.” Bass is survived by his wife of 20 years, his 19-year-old daughter, and his 17-year-old son — none of whom were allowed to visit him after his admission to the hospital. Bass’ loved ones remember him as a reliable confidant who brought warmth to his friends’ and family’s lives. “He had this amazing, open, cheerful personality,” said Alex Beylinson, Bass’ close friend who sent him to the hospital. “He was always laughing and smiling and had a million jokes to tell … Everyone loved him.“ Gets noted Bass’ generous spirit, and recalled a time the physician assistant went out of his way to look after Gets’ sick relative. “My wife’s uncle who lives in New Jersey, he was visiting someone in Brooklyn. He was unconscious and he was sent to Staten Island Hospital,” he said. “I called Alex, and he came in his free time.” Multiple online fundraisers have been set up to raise money for Bass’ family after his death. Within hours, they had raised tens of thousands of dollars, Beylinson said. “In one day they collected $50,000,” he said. “There were hundred and hundreds of people that knew him, and that speaks volumes.” All three fundraisers have raised more than $74,000 dollars as of April 20. GROUP HOMES according to advocates. “What should happen is that it is not based on the fi nancial resources, but it is based upon the actual need of the particular facility throughout the state, so that those that need the PPE get it,” said Tim Clune, the executive director of Disability Rights New York (DRNY). “All of these congregate care facilities must have the necessary protective gear to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” DRNY fi led a formal complaint on April 9 with the United States Department of Health and Human Services against Governor Andrew Cuomo for failure to prioritize group homes and other congregate care settings as priority recipients of protective equipment — but that has yet to yield positive results. Group home operators have faced intense competition and exorbitant prices in their pursuit of personal protective equipment, and have begun joining forces with other care providers in the region to pool the necessary cash and have a unifi ed voice on the buyers market. Janet Koch, the head of Life’s Worc, which operates group homes for the developmentally disabled throughout New York City and Long Island, said she and a cadre of other group homes on Long Island pooled together $30,000 each at the start of the pandemic through a “providers alliance” to buy protective medical supplies — allowing them to scoop up the equipment before it was all bought up. “We were ahead of the curve for sure, we got in right in the beginning,” said Koch. Other homes are still scrambling to stock up on protective supplies with no end of the pandemic in sight — and the market for more masks, gloves, and other supplies is bare. Some group homes have put up huge sums of money just to be entered into the running for receiving the life-saving supplies, without any guarantee they would even receive An employee and resident of a group home. it. After $2.6 billion in budget cuts over the last ten years, and the drawn-out delay of a yearly three percent cost of living funding increase from the state, this is no small feat for most homes — but with lives on the line they have little choice, said Koch. “If you have nothing, or here’s a chance, suddenly that risk becomes life or death,” she said. “Even if you’re a non-profi t, you fi nd that money and you do it.” For their part, Clune and his fellow advocates at NYDA argue that a change in policy to prioritize group homes would help facilitate supply allocation more than an uptick in funding — and they’re continuing to push for a change in the state’s priorities. “This should have nothing to do with funding,” Clune said. “It should have absolutely everything to do with protecting the people who are within the facilities and the public at large.” Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 ��