Albany, NY November 2, 2021: Disability Rights New York (DRNY) published a report today outlining the deficiencies in a New York State Department of Health (DOH)
investigation of alleged neglect that may have led to the sudden death of a 57 year-old man in a New York rehabilitation facility.
As the Protection and Advocacy System for the state, DRNY is specifically authorized
to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect against people with disabilities and the agencies that serve them. DRNY initiated our investigation after we received a complaint alleging that the DOH failed to substantiate the claim that the man’s death was due to neglect at the facility.
Several inconsistencies between the facility’s records and the Medical Examiner’s findings clearly warranted further investigation by DOH. The most troubling overall finding was the DOH’s failure to thoroughly investigate conflicting data relevant to the cause of death, which may have been preventable.
Corrective action relating to the investigation of this death remains warranted and systemic reform of DOH’s investigative procedures is strongly indicated. DRNY believes this case illustrates a need for systemic reform of DOH’s investigative procedures.
The DOH was provided an advance copy of the report twice throughout the investigation process, and provided written responses defending their investigation. These responses are included as appendices to the report.