Here is a cool video about three men who moved out of the Jacksonville Developmental Center and are now having a full life in the community! VIDEO.
Last Friday, The Arc and other advocates met with Directors Casey & Romano and Mark Doyle to discuss the Governor’s Rebalancing Initiative next steps.
The Murray Closure Advisory Committee has been formed and is meeting to review the closure process. Some information I thought you might be interested in:
1. Community Resource Alliance (CRA) has already developed 41 person-centered plans for individuals at Murray.
2. CRA has completed 110 assessments of individuals at Murray.
3. There are 26 providers in the Southern Illinois Region ready to work with people transitioning out of the Murray Developmental Center. Much larger number of providers when the Jacksonville closure began.
4. Because there are many individuals who use wheelchairs at Murray, accessibility of housing is an important issue. In this regard, the Illinois Facility Fund has submitted a proposal to build and lease accessible housing.
5. People may begin moving out of Murray in April.
6. In the Jacksonville Developmental Center closure, 26% of the people moved to consumer controlled housing.
7. The Department of Human Services is submitting a grant to CMS for the Balancing Initiative Program which will allow for enhanced federal funds for rebalancing.
As I have reported to you, a lawsuit has been filed in federal court seeking to permanently enjoin the State from completing the unilateral and imminent closure of all State Operated Developmental Centers across Illinois…
The lawsuit names Kevin Casey, Director of Developmental Disabilities, and Community Resource Alliance (CRA).
I have listed here some of the main points made in the lawsuit:
1. The Plaintiffs are legal guardians, the Illinois League of Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled and the Murray Parents Association.
2. The Plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial.
3. The lawsuit states that the State is seeking to close all State Operated Developmental Centers.
4. The Plaintiffs are against the State’s plan because it is against the legal guardians’ will and against the will of the guardian-charges current caretakers.
5. The State’s plan will thrust individuals into unsupervised, and in many cases, unlicensed community placements.
6. There are woefully inadequate levels of medically necessary services for Individual Plaintiffs in community residential settings.
7. The Plaintiffs contend that Medicaid law requires choice and the choice of a State Developmental Center is required because the community cannot support the Plaintiffs’ medically necessary services.
8. Many of the residents of SODC’s, including the Plaintiffs, are incable of living independently in community-based settings.
9. The Plaintiffs’ Class Definition is “All severe and profound developmentally delayed adult individuals who reside presently, or resided in the past, in a SODC on or before January, 2011 to the present date or later, and who have been advised that they will be transferred to, or have already been transferred to, a two-four bedroom residential community housing setting.”
Here is a link to the entire lawsuit of 39 pages, Illinois League vs DHS.
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Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@www.thearcofil.org
