22 The Queens Courier • JUNE 13, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com BRIDGING THE GAP ALLEGED COVER UP OF MISSING After budget cuts, legislative DEMENTIA PATIENT package aims to help disabled BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA A former director at a Far BY MAGIE HAYES Rockaway nursing home has [email protected] been arrested for falsifying records to cover up the disappearance In the wake of a significant of a resident with dementia, according to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Juliet Clifford, 43, of Mount Vernon, NY, has been charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, falsifying business records and wilfully violating health laws. If found guilty, she could face up to four years in prison. According to the criminal complaint, Clifford neglected to call 9-1-1 when 74-year-old resident Alan Frazer went missing from the Bishop Charles Waldo MacLean Episcopal Nursing Home on May 26. She allegedly covered up his disappearance by telling investigators that he left “against medical advice” (AMA), refusing requests to report the man missing. The day after Frazer’s disappearance, Clifford allegedly removed information from his Alan Frazer medical records and ordered a staff member to make an entry in his records saying he left on an AMA basis. Clifford also told staff not to call police, according to the attorney general. Frazer was eventually reported missing by the nursing facility on May 30, but has not been found yet. Anyone with any information on Frazer’s whereabouts is asked to call the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 800-346-3543. budget cut to programs for developmentally disabled people, lawmakers are seeking ways to provide such individuals with more security. A budget amendment enacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo cut 4.5 percent of state funding for organizations that help disabled individuals live healthy and independent lifestyles. Now, advocates both in and outside of the governor’s administration are fighting for legislation intended to protect the quality of support and services for these individuals. “This legislative package will work to help remove unnecessary and discriminatory barriers that prevent many people with disabilities from living welldeserved self-reliant lives,” said Assemblymember Phil Goldfeder, chair of the Mental Health Subcommittee on Autism Retention. One of several bills in the package is the People wi th Developmental Disabilities Restoration and Reinvestment Act of 2013. It would appropriate up to $90 million to fully restore state funding to services for people with developmental disabilities. The bill would tap savings to implement an agenda focused on services for individuals, community integration and more. The legislature would make up for funds not covered by the savings through a contingency appropriation. Another bill in the package would amend the state’s Human Rights Law to require state and local government facilities to remove barriers which limit access to transportation or government services and buildings. An additional bill would establish an advocacy program to advise individuals about their rights and responsibilities. Other bills entail access to sign language interpreters, housing preferences for tenants with limited mobility, eliminating discriminatory practices and more. “This legislative package will provide the necessary state funding to improve the behavior and growth of individuals with developmental disabilities,” Goldfeder said. “There has been significant progress in achieving mental and physical health parity in New York State.” The Assembly and the Senate will vote on the package in the coming weeks. To learn more, call (718) 990-8625, go to www.queenslibrary.org/jobhelp or visit your Queens Library.
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