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Group homes for the developmentally disabled
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COURIER L 4 IFE, APRIL 24-30, 2020
BY BEN VERDE
Due to an oversight from
the state government, group
homes for the developmentally
disabled are now forced
to fend for themselves as they
try to buy much-needed protective
medical equipment —
which are in short supply and
rising in cost amid the novel
coronavirus, according to disability
advocates.
Facilities that care for the
developmentally disabled are
not listed as priority recipients
of personal protective equipment
under state guidelines,
which only prioritize hospitals,
EMS operators, nursing
homes, and dialysis centers
— which leaves these homes
scrambling to fi nd medical
supplies, such as face masks
and rubber gloves.
The lack of regulatory
help from the state has forced
fi nancially well-off group
homes to compete on the open
market for supplies, while
less cash-fl ush facilities have
been forced to rely on donations
and handmade replacements
— rather than allocating
resources based on need,
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
Staff at group homes for the developmentally disabled are demanding state help to obtain medical supplies.
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
p r o t e c t i v e
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
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