Many of New York’s Mentally Ill End Up in ‘Unregulated’ Units in Nursing Homes, New York Times Reports

In an investigative report, the New York Times on Oct. 6 examined the conditions in largely "unregulated" special nursing home units in the state that care for up to 1,000 mentally patients released from psychiatric hospitals. The units -- the "latest development in the troubled evolution of New York's mental health network" over the past 50 years, according to the Times -- are separate from the state's system of adult homes that were the subject of a Times investigative series in April, which "detailed extensive neglect and malfeasance." After four months of investigation, including "multiple" visits to the facilities and more than 50 interviews with residents, relatives, workers and officials, the Times found that the "isolated" nursing home floors that house these patients are kept locked, and patients on the floors are "confined" to prevent residents from "mixing with elderly residents on other floors," according to workers in the units. Most of the residents, usually in their 30s and 40s, receive "little in the way of" rehabilitative therapy. Some critics say the conditions in these units violate state regulations for the care of mentally ill patients and may be "depriving them of their civil rights." Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled Executive Director Geoff Lieberman said, "Residents who are inappropriate for nursing homes are being admitted, sometimes under false pretenses," adding, "These [units] are the new adult homes in the making." However, an aide to Benjamin Landa, a "prominent nursing home operato[r]" who helped develop the units with Gov. George Pataki's (R) administration in 1996, said, "This is a voluntary program. All the clients are told exactly what is on the unit." Landa said in a statement that he would "welcome ... oversight" of the facilities (Levy, New York Times, 10/6).

Gubernatorial Candidates Respond
New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall responded to the article, calling the conditions in the nursing home units a "terrible assault," according to the New York Times. Although he did not provide an alternative solution, McCall said the Pataki administration "has shown no care or compassion for people who have disabilities and need help. The idea that the Pataki administration has is you hide them, lock them up ... and hopefully no one will discover them." McCall added, "But they've been discovered. And this is just a terrible tragedy ... an example of the callous disregard that this administration has shown to people with special needs." Pataki responded, "Obviously our administration has worked very hard to show compassion and care for all New Yorkers and certainly the mentally ill deserve, warrant and are getting help from the state of New York." He added that the state commissioners of health and mental health are working on implementing changes to correct the system (Archibold/Cooper, New York Times, 10/7).