Maggie Brooks: County focusing on making CDR switch

PATTI SINGER • STAFF WRITER • Democrat and Chronicle, JULY 29, 2010

Chief operating officer Chris Hilderbrant said that the Center for Disability Rights is still trying to resume its contract with Monroe County to administer a program for home health attendants.

Meanwhile, the county’s plan is for a seamless transition to five other agencies.

“There is no relationship with CDR at this point,” County Executive Maggie Brooks said Wednesday. “We severed that relationship. Our relationship going forward is with the clients and with the aides.”

Brooks said that the county would continue to contact clients and their attendants and help them stay in the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program with another agency.

Last week, the county ended its contract with CDR, saying an investigation found widespread lapses in care.

The program allows Medicaid-eligible clients to hire, train and supervise the people who provide their care.

The county determines whether an individual qualifies.

On Wednesday, CDR held a news conference with three people it said were cited in the county’s investigation and had three others it said were among the clients visited by county investigators.

Stephen Kasper said he was Client No. 2 and Pam Stover said she was Client No. 4.

Rebeca Juarez spoke on behalf of her grandfather, Agustin Zabala, identifying him as only Client No. 3.

Client No. 1 did not attend the news conference and was not identified.

Kasper, a quadriplegic who lay on a stretcher, said that being in a self-directed program meant that he could arrange for his own care if an attendant wasn’t available. He also said CDR had a process to resolve problems.

In the case of Client No. 4, the county said she feared for her safety because the person who arranges for the attendants does so without the client’s approval.

Stover, who has difficulty speaking and whose words were repeated by attendant Shenita Adams, said that allegation may have come from elsewhere in her building.

She said an aide who came to her home intoxicated was taken off her case.

Juarez said that her grandfather was never left alone, as alleged.

She did say that the Spanish-speaking attendants did have trouble with the voice recognition system used to check attendance because it didn’t pick up their language.

PSINGER@DemocratandChronicle.com