Westchester nonprofit founder recounts alleged neglect that preceded veteran father's death, seeks accountability

Colby Jenkins, founder of Dare to be Different Westchester, told BronxNet she is pursuing justice after the death of her 75-year-old father, a veteran, whom she says was discharged from a VA emergency visit improperly and later found in a squalid room and unresponsive.

Jenkins recounted that a social-worker wellness check led to an emergency hospital visit; she said hospital staff later sent her father home in the early hours wrapped in a sheet and without a hospital gown or sufficient clothing. Jenkins said the roommate who received him was not a trained caregiver and that her father had been denied a home health aide four times.

She described discovering that her father was on the bathroom floor and taking his last breath; she said there was a delay before 911 was called and that she is working to secure an autopsy. Jenkins named organizations and offices assisting the family, including an advocate (Kevin Meggett), Vanessa Gibson’s office, Assemblyman Landon Diaz, and other elected officials and county offices.

Jenkins said her father’s services will be held on January 21 at Mount Gilead Baptist Church (173rd Street and Morris Avenue in The Bronx). She called for accountability from service providers she named on-air (including a Jewish board and other local service agencies) and said she wants changes so other seniors and veterans do not face similar outcomes.

The interview contains detailed first-person allegations of neglect and describes ongoing efforts to involve elected officials and seek further investigation; the claims have been presented as family statements and are not adjudicated in the segment.