15 March 2021: NY State Senators Want Investigation of Cuomo COVID Disabled Group Home Policies

Cuomo's coronavirus policies for disabled group homes face scrutiny

This Albany Times-Union article reveals several New York state Senators are taking an interest in the breaking scandal involving Cuomo administration COVID policies at group homes for the disabled, which have been subjected to the same policies as New York's nursing homes were from 25 March 2020 through 10 May 2020.

... a focus of the push for the probe is an April 10 directive from OPWDD, an executive branch agency, that facilities should accept COVID-positive patients.

Critics have compared that directive to the controversial March 25 order instructing nursing homes to accept COVID-positive residents. The April 10 policy is still in effect, and says if patients are "medically stable" and "asymptomatic" then, "no individual shall be denied re-admission or admission."...

“This has been a stubborn fight by the state every step of the way and it’s because those with disabilities have never been front and center in their spectrum of care," Molinaro said Monday, noting the directive for the facilities to accept COVID patients and that the state wouldn't allow counties to distribute personal protective equipment to the facilities last spring.

"It’s almost as if Albany has washed their hands of responsibility and it’s really, really disturbing," he said.