Today New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced findings and that his office has reached an agreement with Interim Healthcare, Inc. of Greater New York, one of the largest healthcare staffing agencies, which unlawfully placed a help wanted ad discriminating against Haitians in October of 2015.

State legislators and the community were outraged that this home care, hospice, and medical placement agency, blatantly discriminated against Haitians. The ad was so egregious that it caught the ire of many across the nation including elected officials as well as the attention of New York State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman.

"It is in part because of the collective voices of my colleagues, Senator David Carlucci, Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee, Assemblymember Kenneth Zebrowski, Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, and Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre, along with many concerned people in the community that action was taken," said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte.

In his press release today, the Attorney General, announced that his office and Interim Health, Inc., had come to an agreement about how the company will proceed to avoid such situations in the future. Terms of the agreement include having to pay a financial penalty of $100,000, and needing to report any complaints and how they handled them to the Attorney General's office. In addition, the company will have to hire a Vice President of Human Resources to oversee their recruitment, hiring, and placement processes to ensure better accountability. Furthermore, all claims of discrimination will have to be investigated, whether written or oral, and anti-discrimination training will be instated for all staff. For the full release click here.

"I want to thank New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for investigating the blatant discrimination against Haitians in connection with the Interim Health, Inc. incident," said Assemblymember Bichotte. "As a Haitian-American and as a New York State legislator, I am relieved that an agreement had been reached in this matter. This type of discrimination is damaging and I am glad that this case sets a precedent for those who continue to practice brash disdain towards any group of people. This sends a message to other businesses that discriminate in the State of New York, that this will not be tolerated by our government."

The Advertisement

Female LPN/RN needed at West Haverstraw

Monday - Thursday 7:45am - 3:45pm effective 11/23-12/17. Laid back nurse, no Haitians, must have strong respiratory mngt, gtube. No trach. Direct deposit. Weekly paychecks. Must have NYS certificate. Please complete the application at www.careersbyweb.com and select Nanuet as the city. Or call 845-425-2655 as for Nataliya or Annie. Mon-Fri between 9am-4pm only.

For more information read the article on the Capitol Confidential, Times Union Blog.