Confused? So were we. Were the administration's savings projections when it announced the plan to close the four facilities really off by between 75 and 90 percent? And what was Dr. Bigby actually referring … [Read more...]
dmr vendors cry foul
If you listen to the fernald league you'd think the dmr vendors were awash in gravy. Below is a press release from the dmr vendors trade association. The ceos of the vendor companies seem to feel under attack. Are they cutting back on their … [Read more...]
Closure Announcement – Week before Christmas
Everyone who has an opinion on the proposed closure of the Fernald Developmental Center by June 2010 and three other developmental centers should remember these points: 1. The decision by Governor Patrick which was probable made by the … [Read more...]
Governor Patrick Announces Closure of Four Facilities — abstract questions
1. Does anyone know of another disability group that is so severely split by severity of diagnosis as Mental Retardation/Developmental Disability? 2. Does anyone know of another issue on which the dominant coalition includes budget cutters, … [Read more...]
No answers from the gov to our questions at two Town Hall meetings
About a week before I submitted my question, Grace Lerman, a member of The Fernald League, submitted her own question following a Town Hall meeting in Amesbury, asking how the commonwealth would be able to meet the future needs of persons … [Read more...]
Information hard to come by in the case of A.T.
Unfortunately, the information has been so hard to come by that I started to think it might be worth writing about that--how hard it is to get information about her current well-being. One of the criticisms leveled … [Read more...]
The Truth About Fernald
There has been much discussion regarding a guardian's decision to move an elderly woman from Fernald to a home in the community. Most of the bloggers are discribing this woman's past 50 years at Fernald as idealic. Give me a … [Read more...]
DMR moving elderly Fernald resident against her wish
Meagher maintained that despite U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro's ruling last year that Fernald must remain open to its current residents, the Patrick administration "is trying to subvert that order by reducing the … [Read more...]
Fernald and the folly of unchecked privatization
By way of disclosure, I have been working as a consultant to The Fernald League for the Mentally Retarded, Inc., a nonprofit, family-run organization seeking to keep Fernald open. However, I’ve written this and a previous … [Read more...]
DMR’s disconnect
The costs for serving particular (Fernald) residents in community settings would be based upon a careful assessment of what supports would be needed in order to provide them with equal or better care in the community. Such costs … [Read more...]