2009-09-08 State Discriminated Against Mentally Ill
- when: 2009/09/08 (2009/09/08)
- author: James Barron
- source: New York Times
- topics: US/healthcare/mental US/NY/New York mental illness mental health privatization
- URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/nyregion/09mental.html
- title: State Discriminated Against Mentally Ill, Judge Rules
- summary: «New York State discriminated against thousands of mentally ill people in New York City by leaving them in privately run adult homes, which [...] turned out to be little more than institutions themselves.»
Excerpt
New York State discriminated against thousands of mentally ill people in New York City by leaving them in privately run adult homes, which effectively replaced state-run psychiatric hospitals more than a generation ago but turned out to be little more than institutions themselves, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
The judge, Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn, ruled that the state was violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by housing more than 4,300 mentally ill people in New York City in more than two dozen adult homes. He said the residents had little hope of mingling with anyone in the wider community.
The nonprofit group that sued the state had asked Judge Garaufis to tell state officials they could no longer steer mentally ill people into adult homes. He stopped short of that but directed the state to submit a "remedial plan" by mid-October.