Assemblyman Santabarbara Calls on the State to Reopen Adult Day Health Care Programs
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that’s he’s fighting to allow adult day health care programs to reopen safely. Currently, these programs are the only health care facilities in New York State that have remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve learned a lot about the virus and we are implementing policies to get this crisis under control,” said Santabarbara. “Health care facilities have instituted better practices and, as vaccination ramps and more family caregivers return to work, it’s getting more difficult to provide care for family members with health conditions. For this reason, I’m urging the state to allow these essential programs to reopen immediately and provide in-person care for our loved ones.”
Adult day health care programs provide services for individuals with disabilities, usually several times a week for most patients. During these visits, a patient can receive doctor-ordered care by trained nurses while their caregivers are afforded the opportunity to address other life demands. As these facilities remain closed, the quality of care patients are receiving is not the same and some of these patients have faced adverse outcomes as a result of this diminished level of care.
Due to the continued closures of adult day health programs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 8,000 New Yorkers have been left without necessary care.[1] Furthermore, after months without permission to reopen, at least 11 programs have closed down permanently, leaving vulnerable patients and their families on their own.[2] Although the state Department of Health (DOH) has cited telemedicine visits as an available option, for many patients, this does not replace the benefits of in-person care, noted Santabarbara.
[2] cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/opinion/reopen-new-yorks-adult-day-health-care-programs.html