Town of Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - A brutal attack at People Inc. in the Town of Tonawanda on Apr. 1st is raising questions about how the state investigates cases of abuse involving individuals with disabilities.
The Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs was established by former Governor Cuomo to restore public trust in institutions caring for people with special needs—the state agency looking into the incident that happened at People Inc. on Heritage Rd., where a patient, who is allegedly known to have violent outbursts, attacked another patient after a day trip.
Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns was a member of the State Assembly when the Justice Center was formed, and he says it was created because there was a need for more oversight.
"The goal was to investigate allegations of abuse of neglect for the special needs community—to protect people with special needs, and at that time, restore public trust, because there were concerns about health, safety and the dignity of our most precious people, our special needs," stated Kearns in an interview with WBEN."
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According to the Justice Center, they have jurisdiction over more than 1,000,000 individuals receiving services across six state agencies. They also maintain the State's Staff Exclusion List, which prevents individuals found responsible for serious abuse or neglect from working with vulnerable populations.
Kearns explains that in a perfect system, there wouldn't be instances of abuse. However, unfortunately, that's not the reality.
"Working with people with disabilities—our direct care workers, they're so important. We cherish them so much. They're really watching our family members. They're a part of our community. As the integration of people with special needs into the community, there's more opportunity for neglect. Please, if you do see something, there's a hotline. Please call that hotline. If you are a mandatory reporter, make that report. Especially also too, our employees that work in these facilities, it's important for them to be transparent," explained Kearns.
WBEN received the following statement from People Inc.:
Our deepest sympathies are with the family of a person we serve who recently sustained serious injuries following an incident with a fellow person served. We care deeply for all of those we provide for and take the health and safety of every person we serve very seriously. It is our greatest priority to provide safe and high-quality services every day. To protect the persons involved and their loved ones, People Inc. cannot comment any further while we continue to work closely and cooperate fully with authorities investigating this incident.