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Things that make you go hmmm

By Joe Consumer

(Here something from one of our readers!):

I'm not entirely referring to C+C Music Factory's popular 90's dance single, "Things That Make You Go Hmmm", off their hit album Gonna make you Sweat.  Though it is a great song, I'm talking about the general feeling of something that just doesn't make sense.  This is how I felt after I read this article today in the Albany Times Union.

According to the Times Union article, the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for Persons with Disabilities (CQC), charged with the responsibility of protecting residents of mental health centers, group homes and the like, has been a ship without a captain for nearly two years. CQC has been without a chairperson since May of 2008.  Speaking of "things that make you go hmmm"--an oversight agency without a head overseer for over a year and a half.

Since May, the Commission has been under the guidance of Chief Operating Officer, Jane Lynch.  However, advocates for the disabled are concerned that the lack of a chairperson presents problems concerning the power and independence of the commission.  According to the paper:

[C]ritics say the distinction between an COO and a chairperson who requires Senate confirmation is subtle but important: A chair, they believe, would be able to assert more independence."

In a recent Times Union commentary, former CQC Chairman Clarence Sundram charged that the commission needs more independence. He cited what he termed a "deafening silence" by the CQC regarding the circumstances surrounding a fire last March in an OMRDD facility in Hamilton County that "killed four residents."

Under Lynch, CQC seems more of a blind watchdog then a real watchdog agency with teeth. "Lynch raised eyebrows last year when she filed an affidavit that insiders viewed as an accommodation to the agencies she is supposed to regulate."

The longer this important oversight agency goes without an appointed chairperson, the more it hurts many of the people who are most vulnerable in our society.

Full post as published by ThePopTort on February 12, 2010 (boomark / email).