RIVERHEAD TOWN COUNCILWOMAN CALLS TO ADDRESS COVID ISOLATION IMPACT ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WITHOUT ADVOCACY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jodi Giglio | jodi.giglio20@gmail.com| 631-591-6980 Date: June 19, 2020 Location Facebook Live - www.facebook.com/jodi.bennettgiglio RIVERHEAD TOWN COUNCILWOMAN CALLS TO ADDRESS COVID ISOLATION IMPACT ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WITHOUT ADVOCACY Monday, June 22, 2020 10:00AM Facebook Question & Answers via chat (Long Island, NY, June 2020) –– Riverhead Town Councilwoman Jodi Giglio is shining light to find solutions for dark COVID impacts on vulnerable populations without proper advocacy.

“Imprisoned and isolated for 3 months, our most vulnerable disabled populations and their social and family support have been under severe mental strain that is now moving to financial strain,” stated Giglio.

Developmentally and Otherwise Disabled population and their families have been forgotten in isolation and lost all advocacy capacity for NYS Budget. Families and their loved ones who are suffering because Day Habilitation (“DayHabs”) and Home visitations have been placed on continued hold without a plan.

“By not timely resuming and impacting this population with budget cuts to OPWDD, we are failing our most vulnerable populations,” said Giglio. “I am pleading with NYS to come up with timely solutions for the population they serve.”

“I have listened to these families and have been made aware of what their realities have been the last four months- not being able to hug and comfort their loved ones.” “I now hear that some of these families are still waiting to see their loved ones. OPWDD has just started to send out their guidance to the residential/group homes and has not devised an appropriate plan yet to reopen while isolation affects create a landslide of anxiety.”

“I stand in solidarity with these suffering families and call on OPWDD to come up with a solution for these already burdened families.”

Eileen Benthal, mother and advocate for her child explained the crisis, “As a parent of a young adult who is both developmentally disabled and medically fragile- I have grave concerns about OPWDD’s proposed cuts to programs and support systems for disabled adults. A switch to a managed care approach is a move away from the person-centered model that NYS advocates have worked so hard to put in place. The fact that we are even talking about cuts during a pandemic when families and organizations which support individuals are so isolated already is beyond me. These are the very people we should be rallying to protect.”

East End Disability Associates (EEDA) is a 501(c)(3) certified non-profit organization dedicated to creating practical solutions and providing innovative support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the East End of Long Island.

“The public health crisis we are all living through is far from over, and cuts to care for one of our most vulnerable populations must be stopped immediately.” stated Lisa Meyer Fertal, Chief Executive Officer East End Disability Associates, Inc. “We are one of the largest employers in the Town of Riverhead with 681 staff members (full and part time) providing services to over 750 individuals. EEDA has taken great strides during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the health and well-being of the individuals we serve as well as our essential staff. A large effort was made early in the crisis to obtain PPE equipment that was not available, and many times had to be acquired through foreign vendors at massive upcharges. All of this was happening while EEDA and all agencies serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are facing devastating cuts from New York State.”

Jill Calderon, another mother of a disabled child, summed the issue up succinctly: “Developmentally disabled individuals have been devastated by imbalanced restrictions placed upon them during this pandemic. As families desperately seek access to their children quarantined away in residential facilities, it is painful to simultaneously watch other community groups held to lower distancing standards. DayHabs must reopen with home visits restored immediately! The mental health of residents and their families unfairly depend on it! Thank you, Jodi, for standing up for this forgotten and most vulnerable population.”

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