North Country Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, says a recent roundtable discussion with state employees represented by the Public Employees Federation (PEF) raised additional questions about the effectiveness of the Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs.

She had raised similar concerns in March when the state Comptroller's Office released a report claiming Justice Center officials had hampered their investigation into the effectiveness of a program designed to protect some of the state's most vulnerable people from mistreatment.

She said the Justice Center's refusal to turn over the necessary information for a complete audit had raised even more questions about the effectiveness of the protections that are in place, both from the perspective of people with special needs and their care providers.

Assemblywoman Jenne said her concerns about the Justice Center certainly weren't allayed by her conversations with nurses and other professionals working in Ogdensburg's prisons, psychiatric center and sex offender treatment program as well as at Sunmount facilities.

"Concerns were raised at my roundtable discussion with PEF members about the Justice Center. These employees are already working in difficult working conditions, and I heard concerns that the Justice Center's unilateral power is starting to impact operations and recruitment," she noted.

"It's counterintuitive to the Justice Center's mission, but some employees are reluctant to get involved in incidents because they are seeing it can be lengthy from the time an allegation of abuse is filed to the conclusion of that case. They don't want to put themselves or their professional licenses in jeopardy by working in an environment where violent outbursts require restraint of the patient and often result in complaints," the assemblywoman noted.

"We are literally putting people's lives on hold while their cases are pending before the Justice Center. It's a scenario that is making it increasingly difficult to fill positions. Nurses, for example, don't want to risk losing their license or being placed on the Medicaid exclusion list under the current climate. I'm very concerned about what I am hearing about the way the Justice Center is treating people and it's negative impact on staffing," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

She said other issues raised during the roundtable ranged from personal safety issues and staffing levels to concerns about the criminal justice system failing to prosecute inmates and residents charged with attacking nurses inside the facilities to the full extent of the law.

Assemblywoman Jenne also said concerns were raised about pay for nurses at the state facilities that is often much lower than at neighboring health care institutions, the need for additional outpatient mental health treatment professionals in the region and concerns about the utilization of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center's Children and Youth Unit.

PEF Region 7 Coordinator Ed Snow, who represents union members in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Franklin, Clinton and Essex counties, said the state employees enjoyed the opportunity to interact with their assemblywoman.

"New York State employees represented by the Public Employees Federation in the North Country provide vital services to people in the region daily and appreciate when Assemblywoman Jenne is willing to sit down with us to listen to our members’ concerns in the workplace," he said.

"Although PEF has mechanisms to advocate for our members, it also very important to them to have their voices heard by Addie Jenne," Mr. Snow added.