(Cross-posted from the COFAR blog)
We’ve long maintained that the Patrick administration’s agenda of phasing down and closing state developmental centers would ultimately fail to free up additional funding for the community based system.
It’s been nearly three years since the administration announced its plan to close the Fernald, Templeton, Monson, and Glavin Centers and reportedly plow back as much as $45 million a year in the “savings” into beefing up the largely privatized community-based system of care. That $45 million savings projection was a cornerstone of the administration’s “Community First” initiative.
So far, the administration has succeeded in moving hundreds of residents out of developmental centers, starting with Fernald, which is now emptied of all but 14 of its residents, who have filed appeals of their transfers. But nothing remotely close to the $45 million in savings has materialized. In fact, the opposite has been the case — the administration has continued to cut community-based line items in the Department of Developmental Services budget.
In a November 20 email to members and other advocates, the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, which has wholeheartedly supported the closures of the developmental centers, stated the following :
For the last four fiscal years, in order to cope with the effects of the economic collapse of 2008, the Commonwealth’s budget has:
- deeply cut Family Support programs, leaving 10,000 families without service,
- inadequately addressed Chapter 257 rate reform by not introducing sufficient funding to rate making but instead forcing existing programs to redistribute already inadequate funding
- failed to address historically low salary needs of the community workforce (though the Legislature has recently added the first salary reserve dollars in four years)
- continued to require community programs to implement state mandates without sufficient funding, including closing sheltered workshops without funding to replace this model in favor of a more inclusive and empowering model.
- not backed it’s professed interest in Community First and Employment First with funding to make these efforts successful. (my emphasis)
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the success of the administration’s community-based care delivery model and its promised use of of the savings from the developmental center closures. We hope the ADDP and the Arc of Massachusetts will reach the next logical step in their argument and urge the administration to cease and desist from closing the centers.
Unfortunately, the ADDP and the Arc of Massachusetts are supporting H.984, known as “The Real Lives Bill,” which appears to continue to rely on the premise that DDS clients should not be given the choice of living in developmental centers.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Sannicandro, is intended to provide for more choice for persons with intellectual disabilities. But it appears to specifically deny consumers the choice of “congregate services.” In other words, everyone should have a choice, as long as they choose only small, community-based settings. We believe, however, that the congregate services provided by developmental centers are appropriate for certain people who are unable to benefit from community based care. And now we’re seeing that closing the congregate care centers is not freeing up community-based funding.
Sannicandro’s bill does appear to recognize that the community-based system has not thus far benefitted from the developmental center phase-downs. The bill’s text reads:
Too many people are not receiving the assistance they need. The public Medicaid system is reeling from cost pressures. The time has come for individuals with disabilities, families, advocates and providers to work together with policy makers in the administration and legislature in crafting a support system that both increases quality and on average reduces costs whenever possible.
We agree with the language in Sannicandro’s bill on that last point. We just disagree that closing the developmental centers is the right way to go about it.
This is sad, shameful, and not the way a “Commonwealth” behaves. Just because the developmentally disabled are not marching in the streets doesn’t mean they should be depleted, and expected to just fade away.
Each and every person that has a intellectual disability has different needs to get them through this life. This is why the “Choice” is so important to their existance. To deny them a choice is to deny them a life. It blows my mind that the closing of these developmental centers are still going forward despite not knowing the facts,not proving the cost savings the DDS proclaims,not knowing the long term effects to these people and jeopordizing their lives. Shame on any legislators that have not stepped up and defended them. They have ignored pleas from guardians and family members to keep these facilities opened. The governor has turned a deaf ear and has shown more compassion towards our criminals and illegal immigrants. The closures and evictions of these facilities is nothing less than outrageous and is unacceptable. As someone recently suggested maybe it’s time for a “Occupy DDS Movement”.
Even the ADDP admits the “community” ideology is not working.
This quote was taken from a post on another issue, yet applies here as well.
Not sure what public opinion of the Occupy movement is but you have to give them one thing–they are certainly getting attention.
Truthaboutdmr hit the nail right on the head with “Community Farce Initiative”. The first step of this experiment is clearly failing. The people most responsible for this “farce” becoming a reality (besides the Governor and his minion) ADDP and ARC, now find themselves in the same position as the the individuals they so readily thru under the bus, the facilities–begging–for legislative support and money. Even more incredible is they continue to push for more evictions of the most fragile and vulnerable people into their system of care that in their own words is already overwhelmed, under-funded and unable to meet the needs of the people it currently serves. Snap out of it ADDP/ARC–the legislature thru you under the bus too!!
Earth calling Rep Sannicandro? This issue has been on-going for years and years. Took all that time to come up with the notion that all involved need to work together to find solutions!!!! What a concept!!! I guess you must have missed all the times that there were alternative proposals put forth that were and are reasonable, viable, cost-effective and humane alternatives to facilty closure. Of course those proposal were ignored. Even more incredible that this bill considers working together means taking choices away from the disabled and forcing more vulnerable people into this same overwhelmed and underfunded system of care.
I guess the short answer here is our elected official JUST DON’T CARE.
Just one more comment regarding the continuing need and important role developments centers play in the entire system of care–1600 indiviuals from the community care system have visited and used the only therapeutic pool which is located in a developmental center-I think most people know exactly where it is located. Where are these people going to go when this valuable assets operation is discontinued. Where is the community outrage at the prospect of losing this. Closing of facilities IS a cut to the services provided to the community but now one want to hear it.
1600 this month and October isn’t over yet!
has been cut by more than $45 million between Fiscal Year 2009 and the current fiscal year. So, as I asked above, why hasn’t that “savings” prevented the continuing cuts in the community-based line items?
obvously not the people who need it the most and who it was originally intended.