Following the tragic death of Suffolk County’s Thomas Valva, the Nassau County Legislature announced that they will hold a special public hearing of the Health Committee to assess procedures and protocols of Nassau Health and Social services, to ensure such a tragedy does not occur in Nassau.
In the wake of the devastating turn of events, the Legislature will convene following the hearing to determine if any action is needed to bolster the departments’ services.
Chairwoman of the Legislature’s Health Committee Rose Marie Walker offered the following: “While I have no reason to believe there is an issue with our Health and Social Services Departments, it is the job of the legislature and this committee to ensure these departments have the resources they need to be successful. It is better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to the safety of our children and families.”
Legislator James Kennedy says: “What happened in Suffolk County was an absolute tragedy. This hearing will help us identify any potential areas of improvement within our departments so that they may be corrected to prevent something like this from ever happening again.”
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in the County Legislative Chamber. It will be open to the public. Members of Nassau’s Health Department, Department of Social Services and Child Protective Services will be on hand to testify and answer questions.