Living in Hudson Valley is second to none with the beauty of autumn. If you are near or on Staten Island, a great fall activity would be taking the Willowbrook Mile, which is a 2.2-mile memorial trail on the campuses of the College of Staten Island (CSI). While on this beautiful trail, you will get the opportunity to see the educational and informational promises forever made after the Willowbrook State School was closed in 1987 due to deplorable conditions. Because of Willowbrook, we will never forget what happened and should use that as an example to strive to improve.

We must remain vigilant in ensuring the state takes and provides proper funding for all agencies caring for the developmentally disabled. Incidents like Willowbrook happened partly because the state neglected to provide adequate funding to assure proper care for the people receiving services there. There must be a high level of accountability.

Fortunately, our current Governor, Kathy Hochul, and new Commissioner at the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Kerri Neifeld, have done an excellent job in addressing funding shortfalls inherited from the previous administration. They acknowledge that the ID/DD community needs the resources available to ensure they are taken care of appropriately.

Fortunately, our current Governor, Kathy Hochul, and new Commissioner at the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Kerri Neifeld, have been excellent in turning the tide on the previous administration and acknowledging the ID/DD community needs the resources available to make sure they are taken care of appropriately. We hope this continues. We have seen our Governor make the cost of living adjustments, and she recognized the heroes that work in the group homes. It’s a breath of fresh air! They are taking the proper steps to make sure we don’t have a repeat of Willowbrook. We all need to follow Geraldo Rivera’s example, and when we see inequities in the system, we need to stand up and say, this isn’t right, and we have to do something!

We are not going to forget; we are always going to remember. So please don't hesitate to reach out with any pharmacy questions or inquiries.

Yours in Health,

Angelo Angerame

CEO, Hudson Regional Long Term Care Pharmacy