♪
♪ >>> THE CORONAVIRUS IS TAKING A
DEVASTATING TOLL ON SOME OF THE
MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY. THE "NEW YORK TIMES" POINTS OUT
THAT 1,100 OF THE 140,000
DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED PEOPLE
MONITORED BY THE STATE OF NEW
YORK HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR
THE VIRUS.
THE VIRUS. 105 HAVE DIED.
THAT IS A FAR HIGHER RATE THAN
THE GENERAL POPULATION.
JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS, THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THEOF THE
GROUP.
GROUP. WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE DISABLED
GROUP?
GROUP? >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE
MISUNDERSTAND WHEN THEY TALK
ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING, IS WHEN
YOU’RE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE WHO
NEED SO MUCH HANDS-ON CARE,
THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE.
THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
MANY OF OUR PEOPLE THAT WE TAKE
CARE OF NEED TWO-PERSON LIFTS.
TWO PEOPLE NEEDED TO LIFT YOU,
ME ON ONE SIDE AND ANOTHER
PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE’RE
CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, MANY OF OUR
GUYS DON’T KNOW OR CAN’T COVER
THEIR NOSE OR COUGH.
THEREFORE, THE EXPOSURE IS
THERE.
THERE. IT’S REAL.
IT’S REAL. >> WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
>> WELL, IN THE BEGINNING, IF
YOU HEARD THE STORY, ON MARCH
24th IN MY EIGHT-BED HOME, WE
HAD TWO VACANCIES, NINE TESTED
POSITIVE, THAT BEGAN AN
ONSLAUGHT IN WHICH THE RESIDENTS
TESTED POSITIVE AND THE INITIAL
SHOCK OF THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS
DREW FEAR THROUGH MY STAFF.
YOU MENTIONED BEFORE THAT NOT
EVERYONE HAS ANGELS ON THEIR
SHOULDERS.
SHOULDERS. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT WORK IN OUR INDUSTRY HAVE
ANGELS ON THEIR SHOULDERS.
THEY HAVE ALWAYS DONE SAINTLY
THINGS AND NOW THEY’RE DOING
HEROIC THINGS.
HEROIC THINGS. INITIALLY WE DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH
PPEs.
PPEs. MANY OF MY STAFF WERE WEARING
GARBAGE BAGS TO COVER
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO PROCURE MASKS
AND GOWNS AND GLOVES AND SO OUR
PEOPLE ARE BETTER PROTECTED.
BY BEING BETTER PROTECTED THEN
THEY AREN’T SPREADING THE VIRUS.
IN CONGREGATED CARE, IT’S NOT
JUST A FAMILY OF FIVE WHERE FIVE
PEOPLE HUNKER DOWN, IN MY 46
PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA, I
HAVE 120 STAFF THAT COULD BE
COMING IN AND OUT ON ANY GIVEN
WEEK.
WEEK. IN MY 8-BED HOMES, I HAVE AS
MANY AS 15 STAFF.
SO THE POTENTIAL FOR SPREADING
THE VIRUS IS THAT MUCH GREATER
AND OUR GUYS, MANY OF THEM, HAVE
COMORBIDITY ISSUES AND THEY’RE
THE VULNERABLE POPULATION.
ONE OF THE MESSAGES WE WOULD
LIKE TO GET OUT IN OUR ENTIRE
INDUSTRY, WE’RE THE BACKBONE OF
THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND WE’RE
NOT INCLUDED OFTENTIMES IN
THE -- IT’S DISGRACEFUL.
MANY AGENCIES TALK ABOUT SMALL
BUSINESSES AS YOU WERE SPEAKING
ABOUT JUST SHORTLY, AND I THINK
BRIAN WAS TALKING ABOUT AGENCIES
OR COMPANIES THAT DIDN’T
POSITION THEMSELVES WELL FOR
THIS KIND OF CIRCUMSTANCE, IT’S
IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE PREPARED FOR
THIS, NUMBER ONE, AND NUMBER
TWO, OUR INDUSTRY, WE’RE WORKING
AT THE -- AT A THREADBARE
CIRCUMSTANCE BECAUSE OF NOT
GETTING INCREASES.
GETTING INCREASES. WE’RE HOPEFUL THAT MEDICAID
DOLLARS THAT MIGHT COME FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GO DIRECTLY
TO OUR INDUSTRY SO THAT WE CAN
PAY OUR STAFF THE COMBAT PAY
THEY DESERVE.
THEY DESERVE. CANDIDLY IN MY FACILITY, I
DOUBLED THE SALARIES OF THE
PEOPLE WORKING THERE AND I DID
THAT BECAUSE THEY DESERVED IT,
THEY WERE EARNING IT.
HOW HOPEFUL AND HAPPY THAT
SENATOR SCHUMER IS SPEAKING
ABOUT GETTING HAZARD PAY, BUT
HAZARD PAY NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO
US NOW.
US NOW. IT WAS OVER 50% HIGHER THAN MY
NORMAL PAYROLL.
NORMAL PAYROLL. I NEED THE MONEY NOW, NOT SIX
MONTHS FROM NOW.
>> ROBERT, I WANT TO THANK YOU.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT