Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Corrupt AIDS Executive Must Be Removed from State Panel


A tipster alerted me to the fact that the corrupt and wildly excessively-compensated Gail Barouh, pictured, whom I blogged about last week, is a member of an important oversight and advisory panel for the Empire State. With her sitting on the panel, it's impossible to believe it can provide a decent amount of necessary oversight.

The following letter was sent today to various elected officials, friends who are poz and negative, reporters across the state and healthcare watchdogs. It's my hope that others will also call for the removal of Barouh from this panel and quickly too.

Tomica Collado-Robinson
New York State Department of Health
AIDS Advisory Council
Secretary of the Council

Dear Ms. Collada-Robinson,

There are several crucial HIV-related matters I wish to bring to your attention and request that they be immediately addressed, in order to adequately allow the general public to fully engage with the department in crafting beneficial policies.

First, I see that the AIDS Advisory Council will be meeting on November 20 and must protest the lack of a published agenda on the AAC's web site.
 
Why is there no agenda available? An agenda is necessary to assist the public and HIV activists and persons living with AIDS decide if they should attend Thursday's meeting from 10:30 am to 1 pm. 

Furthermore, I cannot locate minutes from any previous AAC meetings. Where on the department's site are minutes available for public inspection?

Second, I wish to know what steps, if any, will be taken at the November 20 meeting to potentially remove AAC member Ms. Gail Barouh, the executive director of the Long Island Association for AIDS Care. 

As you know, on September 30, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a damning audit of LIAAC and found that Ms. Barouh was responsible for questionable spending totaling $179,000 from state government HIV contracts. 

Third, since the AAC takes many positions on state government spending impacting health services for HIV poz persons and those at-risk of contracting the virus, and provides oversight of that spending, it is unethical to retain Ms. Barouh on the AAC in any capacity.

Since I am unable to attend the November 20 meeting, I request that you enter this letter into the public record and provide a copy to the person taking minutes.

Please confirm by 12 noon on November 19 that you have received this letter and will present a copy at the AAC meeting and make sure the minutes include my concerns.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis

2 comments:

Artistic Empowerment said...

not only that, the idea that Marjorie Hill, former GMHC CEO is the chair of this committee makes this committee beyond corruption. C. Virginia Fields is another one who doesn't respond to community corruption.

here is a list of the committee members,
NEW YORK STATE

AIDS ADVISORY COUNCIL

Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D.
Chairperson
Queens Executive Center
61-43 186th Street, Suite 417
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
(917) 331-5560
Fax: (718) 475-2122
E-mail: mjhill88@aol.com

Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, CEAP, SAP
Vice Chairperson
President & Chief Executive Officer
Family and Children’s Association
100 E. Old Country Road, Suite 24
Mineola, NY 11501
(516) 746-0350 ext. 304
Fax: (516) 294-0198
E-mail: jreynolds@familyandchildrens.org

Diane Arneth Humberto Cruz
Executive Director 16 W. 120th St., Apt. 2
Community Health Action of Staten Island New York, NY 10027-6308
56 Bay Street, 4th Floor (212) 860-8587
Staten Island, NY 10301 Email: cruzum@gmail.com
(718) 808-1401
E-mail: Diane.Arneth@chasiny.org

Jose M. Davila
President & Chief Administrative Officer

Gail Barouh, Ph.D. BOOM!Health
President & CEO 540 East Fordham Road
Long Island Association for AIDS Care, Inc. Bronx, New York 10458
60 Adams Avenue (718) 295-5605
Hauppauge, NY 11786 Fax: (718) 733-3429
(631) 385-2451 E-mail: jdavila@boomhealth.org
Fax: (631) 423-2788
E-mail: executive@liaac.org

Hon. Thomas K. Duane
Tom Duane Strategies

Guillermo Chacón 353 W. 48th Street
President Suite 309
Latino Commission on AIDS New York, NY 10036
24 West 25 Street, 9th Floor (212) 242-7784
New York, NY 10010 E-mail: tommykd@gmail.com
(212) 584-9304
Fax: (212) 675-3466
E-mail: gchacon@latinoaids.org
September 2014

C. Virginia Fields
President & CEO
National Black Leadership Commission
on AIDS, Inc.
215 W. 125th Street, Suite 2
New York, NY 10027
(212) 614-0023, ext 2082
E-mail: cvafields@aol.com

Conrad T. Fischer, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine,
Pharmacology and Physiology
Touro College of Medicine
Director of Educational Development
Jamaica Hospital
230 W 125th Street
New York, New York 10027
(646) 552-6856
E-mail: ConradFischerMD@gmail.com

Adele Marie Flateau, M.S.
Senior Associate Director
Kings County Hospital Center
Office of Public Affairs & Development
(PAD)
B bldg., Room B-1117
451 Clarkson Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11203
(718) 245-3381
Fax: (718) 245-3095
E-mail: Adele.Flateau@nychhc.org

Tracie M. Gardner
Director of New York State Policy
Legal Action Center
225 Varick Street, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10014
(212) 243-1313
Fax: (212) 675-0286
E-mail: tgardner@lac.org

John Pemrick Lewis
497 Sand Creek Road
Albany, NY 12205
(619) 602-9000
E-mail: nationalbroker@gmail.com

Teresita Rodriguez
Executive Director
Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition
on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)
400 Broadway
New York, New York 10013
(212) 334-7940
Fax: (212) 334-7956
E-mail: trodriguez@apicha.org
Tim Tompkins
Tompkins Enterprises
115 Liberty Pole Way
Rochester, New York 14604
(585) 271-2400
Fax: (585) 241-2890
E-mail: timntompkins@aol.com

Rodney L. Wright, MD, MS
Director, OB/GYN HIV Program
Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics &
Gynecology & Women’s Health
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
1825 Eastchester Road, 7 North
Bronx, New York 10461
(718) 904-2767
Fax: (718) 904-2799
E-mail: rwright@montefiore.org
September 2014

Unknown said...

Thanks for finding and sharing their names and contact info!