Monroe County ends contract with disability rights group that facilitates care
Monroe County on Thursday announced it was ending its contract with the Center for Disability Rights to administer a program that allowed Medicaid-eligible participants to hire their own home health attendants.
In a news release, the county cited “widespread lapses in client care.” In a July 14 letter to County Executive Maggie Brooks, Kelly A. Reed, commissioner of the Department of Human Services, said her staff investigated 12 cases because of client complaints, concern over attendance or routine visits. County attorneys said at least four were of sufficient concern to end the contract.
Reed said the decision to end the contract was made for the safety of the clients in the Consumer Directed Personal Attendant Program. The program serves people who are chronically ill or have disabilities and have a medical need for help with activities of daily living or skilled nursing. The program costs the county $20 million annually.
“I consider it a primary responsibility to take actions and make decisions that I believe represent the highest assurance that the health and well-being of the county’s most vulnerable citizens is being addressed,” Reed said Thursday.
CDR clients received letters dated July 21 informing them that they would have to choose from one of the five other contractors for the program. Of the 361 residents enrolled in the program, 303 are with CDR.
Clients were given a list of providers and asked to select a new one by Aug. 1 to expedite the transition. Reed said that the department would work with clients on making an informed choice and that they would not have their care interrupted.
CDR responded in a news release that it “is focusing on continuing to meet the needs of our consumers and attendants. It is unfortunate that approximately 300 consumers and over 1,000 attendants … have been caught in the attack by Monroe County on a disability rights organization, particularly on the eve of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
CDR Chief Operating Officer Chris Hilderbrant said he would not have any additional comment until a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today at CDR’s office, 497 State St.
Asked if the county’s move was political, Reed replied, “Absolutely not.”
In her letter to Brooks, Reed cited an investigation into a complaint about a quadriplegic woman with multiple sclerosis who reported that “she was often left unattended, with the knowledge of CDR,” despite medical needs that require 24-hour care. A visit by a physical therapist for Home Care of Rochester found the client alone, unable to operate her wheelchair. The report said that CDR was aware of the incident and did not inform DHS of the need to reassess the care plan. The individual was hospitalized and then moved to a nursing home.
Reed also detailed other instances in which it said CDR did not notify the county of concerns:
CDR had held a county contract since 1998. The agency is a nonprofit, community-based advocacy and service organization for people with all types of disabilities.
Reed said she has witnessed CDR’s advocacy. “I understand there are a lot of clients who have a close relationship with CDR. I have to take this action for the whole.”
Maxine Childress-Brown of Rochester oversees the care of her mother and has hired aides through CDR.
“My mother is 96 years old, profoundly deaf, severely disabled, little or no mobility in her arms and legs. I am dismayed and bewildered because I’m concerned about the quality of personal care attendant services that will be rendered for my mother. CDR has been extraordinarily helpful in the assistance they’ve given me and the aides.”
Clients were informed that they may be able to keep their current attendant, subject to requirements of the new provider and of Medicaid.
Reed’s letter to Brooks also said that CDR has been and continues to be under investigation by the state attorney general for cases of client neglect.
In 2009, the attorney general’s office brought action against four aides employed by CDR who pleaded guilty to neglecting their duties while billing Medicaid for services. A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said he could not confirm or deny any other investigation.
