Former investigator for Center for Disability Rights speaks out

Posted at: 07/28/2010 1:18 PM | Updated at: 07/28/2010 9:11 PM
By: Berkeley Brean | WHEC.com

The debate between Monroe County and the Center for Disability Rights continues.

The county dismissed CDR and its $15-million contract to provide services to the disabled for what was called abuse and fraud. CDR says it’s unfair and will hurt people who require in-home care.

Now a former CDR investigator tells News 10NBC some of his investigations were squashed by the agency.

“I knew the time was ticking then they would get hammered on.” Rick Nawrocki was an investigator with the Center for Disability Rights. He worked there for less than a year but says it was long enough for him to see troubling things. “You have consumers that are letting attendants deal drugs out of their house. You have consumers that are being abused.”

Nawrocki says several of his investigations were squashed by CDR management. “I was asked to change reports several times. It was cover up. I believe that. I believe thing did not want to be made out in the open.”

Mary Willoughby is CDR HR director. “If he knows that, he should have called the police. I would ask him why didn’t you call police?” First let’s establish that he’s a very disgruntled former employee.”

Nawraocki, who resigned last year from CDR, contacted News 10NBC after the county cut its contract with CDR.

The county singled out four CDR clients, examples of a pattern of neglect and abuse.

Today, CDR let us talk to those clients, including the granddaughter of 90-year-old Agustin Zabala. She says her grandfather has never been left alone.

Nawrocki says he saw that happen and it only made him more frustrated. Nawrocki said, I resigned because of the simple fact that there was deaf ears. Nobody wanted to hear what I had to say.”

Willoughby said, “He made a lot of allegations while he was here. We investigated whatever he said and every single time it was — we could never prove anything.”

Nawrocki wasn’t the only person who worked for CDR that called News 10NBC today. Several of the calls were from people saying they’re not surprised by the county’s actions because of what they experienced.

How does this resolve itself?
From the county’s perspective, they want the CDR clients to move to one of the other four or five agencies in the area. They’ve sent out letters to the clients asking them to list their top three choices. CDR says it has a conference call with the state health department tomorrow. They want the $15- dollar contract back — it’s 49-percent of their budget.

For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.