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* An e-mail from Don Moss, who used Department of Human Services stats to produce this list…
Despite all the handwringing about the loss of state jobs, the process of downsizing our developmental centers is moving at a snail’s pace. Here are the comparative statistics on the numbers of residents in each SODC in the 4 month span from April 1 to August 1 of this year:
Mabley, Dixon - from 88 up to 93
Kiley, Waukegan - the same at 210
Fox, Dwight - from 114 down to 113
Jacksonville - from 182 down to 168
Choate, Anna - from 267 up to 274 (144 of whom have a primary diagnosis of DD)
Murray, Centralia - from 275 down to 272
Ludeman, Prk Forest - from 410 down to 407
Shapiro, Kankakee - from 550 down to 544
Total - 2,096 down to 2,081 - An average of about 4 individuals per month. AT THIS RATE, IT WILL BE ANOTHER 43 YEARS BEFORE THEY ARE ALL DOWNSIZED AND CLOSED.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 12:31 pm
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These numbers are a bit misleading.
Speaking for Jacksonville, those reductions are only those who have left of their own choosing. DHS is only just now beginning layoff processes. They’re still planning to close it by Oct. 31, and only have to provide 30 days notice before making layoffs, so they’re kind of ahead of the curve there.
Comment by Ronald RayGun Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 1:43 pm
How do the Quinn folks intend to close Jacksonville in two months when they have moved less than 20 people since April? Is DHS gearing up to do the usual, move the remaining 168 folks to other state centers because community providers are so underfunded they can’t serve people with such high needs?
Comment by Jeff Park Mom Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 1:54 pm
Ron, those numbers are the RESIDENTS, not the employees. The employees cannot be laid off until the residents are gone (at least I hope not.
Comment by 332bill Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 1:56 pm
Oop. You’re right. But as far as residents are concerned it was kind of my understanding that they’re doing all these person-centered plans at about the same time, so once they’re all complete the numbers of those moving out will really amp up.
Last I heard they were “still on track” for October. But I guess you never can tell.
Comment by Ronald RayGun Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 2:22 pm
Well Don since you run a lobbyist service it’s easy to see exactly what your benefits are. How do you sleep at night knowing that these disabled people and their guardians rights are being violated. It’s a confict of interest that you serve on committees with the gov and his sidekicks and you run a lobbyist service for community care. You are not the parent/guardian and it is not up to you or the gov to decide where my daughter will live. I will decide that. So the transitions are not going fast enough for you ? See that’s the problem ..they are trying to shove them out to meet a deadline. How do you and the gov sleep at night? Wrong is wrong..and this timeline is wrong. The ACCT transition plan is not and I repeat IS NOT working the way that the gov stated in public. Did you really think that the guardians are just going to throw their loved ones in the community when the placement is not right for their loved one. Not going to happen. Are you so self centered on your lobbying that the risks of the disabled being rushed into a home that is not appropriate for their needs is less important than the timeline?
Comment by for real Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 2:45 pm
good luck finding community based groups that will accept the residents of state facilities. The state pays a miserable rate and then pays providers late.
Do we really want these residents to end up in nursing home facilities, often medicated to reduce staff time and attention? Is this what state government has come to?
Comment by Capitol View Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 2:50 pm
People aren’t moving out because and their family guardians want to be there. They need and have chosen the level of round-the-clock intensive services and supports only state centers can provide. That’s as it should be–for the individual and their guardian to choose, not Don Moss, Pat Quinn or anyone else to dictate.
Comment by Reality Check Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 2:53 pm
How could this be? AFSCME keeps telling the press and lawmakers DHS is rushing to kick people out and onto the streets.
Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 2:58 pm
It would seem that Illinois is “a ship without a captain” doomed to wander aimlessly on the seas. (Or, at least until the next election for governor comes along).
Comment by Melvin Gibson Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 3:08 pm
** It’s a confict of interest that you serve on committees with the gov and his sidekicks and you run a lobbyist service for community care.**
I assume you think that AFSCME also has a conflict of interest when they sit ok similar committees, right?
Comment by dave Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 3:23 pm
Don Moss has done more for people with disabilites in this state than 99.99% of the poplulation.
Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 3:28 pm
For Real- Don Moss is a lobbyist, true enough. But he’s a decent guy and doesn’t deserve the sort of claptrap you are tossing around.
Comment by DuPage Dave Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 3:36 pm
I had heard one of the consultants working with the state on this speak the other week. That person said that about half the calls they get about the process are they they’re going too slowly. The other half are that they’re going too fast.
Comment by Earnest Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 3:41 pm
Decent guys know when wrong is wrong. So Don doesn’t fit into that catergory. I repeat it’s not his decision as to where my daughter should be placed….and yet he sat on a commission doing just that. No input from the parents/guardians as they commenced to closing the SODC’s and deciding as to the housing that would be made available for the residents. Which was not a choice. Telling parents/guardians that 2-4 bed homes were their options. Evidently DHS isn’t giving him the real statistics. - Dave- you’re thinking like Don…99.99%…I think not. As for AFSCME… their people are overworked and give more of themselves to care for the residents of state facilities. In the community the staff makes less than McDonalds employees. Maybe they need a union to get them better pay.
Comment by for real Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 4:18 pm
Please … if the SODC’s much close, the residents need to be assured of safe placement, properly trained staff adequate for needs, professional staff where necessary, and security from escape, outsiders, and others. Many cannot speak so there is no way they can relate details of incidents once they have happened. This is a nightmare for all those who love these severely disadvantaged people.
Comment by Devoted Aunt Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 4:32 pm
I have just one question for Mr Moss where does he think that over 2000 disabled people (because that is what they are people not just a number) should move to you all decided that they all should live in community living without consulting the guardians and those who work everyday with them and know them best what type of care is actually needed for these individuals one type of care does not work for them all some need more suppervision we have been looking for some where for our son one place is a 15 year waiting list others we have talked to have no openings we have a few more to call hopefully we can find something before they decide to put our son on the curb with his bags in his hands because that is what it feels like they are doing and to answer you question about how can that be that they are slow it is because they are told to move 20 a month out which they have not done so on the last day of the month they decide that they should move so all the necessary work to make it a smooth transition are done in a hurry and there is unnessary stress on the residents they don’t deal well with change and when it is done like that it causes other issues My guess is they want to close all of these state places because they have to pay the light and gas bill or they get shut off they don’t have to pay the private facilities on time looks better on the budget if Mr Moss would be a nice guy he would talk to the guardians and find out why they are not moving out faster and not just say they need to get out or that the process needs to get done faster if he talked to us we would tell him that there is no where to go
Comment by Parent of JDC Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 4:46 pm
There are more placements coming. There is a schedule to move about 40 people from JDC by the end of this month. And more next month. Also plans to move people who do not move to a community provider to other SODCs after 10/31. It’s an odd situation: Kevin Casey - take the time to do this right. Mark Doyle - Nov 1 is the end date. Think the new providers have all the info they need to make good decisions? There a guarantee the new rates to cover provide costs will stay remain as they are? Behavior issues are already popping up with people who have been placed and this is just the initial honeymoon time in a new situation. Some people will be very successful in a community home. Multiple families who have been though this before are rightfully very concerned about their loved one while the Excel spreadsheet decision makers just want to hit their dates. The lawsuits should be starting soon.
Comment by zatoichi Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 4:54 pm
The layoff and bumping process in Jacksonville is in full swing. The center is slated to close on October 31st. The bumping process has now impacted employees at the two State Schools in Jacksonville. If the residents of the developmental center are not placed out into a community setting by the end of October….. It makes you wonder if all will be transferred and housed at one facility. …or the facility will remain open longer.
Comment by Albert... Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 5:06 pm
Wake up Mr. Moss! Most of these disabled persons will not survive in a CILA setting, so how do you sleep at night anyway?! These people are being taken from their homes! How would you like to be moved from your home for no reason?! Think about it! This is just horrible!
Comment by murray center mom Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 5:30 pm
After working in a group home for 5 years it didn’t take me long to decide that this was not the home for my brother.Low pay, understaffing, med errors,NO WAY! Murray Center is an excellent HOME for my brother who needs 24/7 care.I know he will not get in a group home!!
Comment by rons-sis Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 6:38 pm
What I am hearing here is that DHS is moving residents without guardian permission and/or against guardians’ specific instructions otherwise. Is that true? As to Moss, beat the H__L out of him, be good for him.
Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 6:41 pm
Thank you Steven.
Comment by Maxine Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 7:16 pm
@steve schnorf:
at this point I believe the transfers out of JDC have been of State wards. However, private guardians have placed letters in the files of their loved ones prohibiting their evaluations and the evaluations have been going forward, anyway.
Comment by transplant Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 7:25 pm
I am not surprised. The reason why the placement process is going slowly is because you have a bad plan.
Informed people and responsible providers know the community approach will not meet all the resident’s care needs. Providers know they cannot or do not want to admit heavy health care and behavioral residents. This is why state facilities were created. You are trying to sell something that responsible people know will not work. The Governor advisers did not research care needs well enough. The community care approach does not have the care resources available to meet the needs of these difficult residents. Even ICF/DD facilities do want to admit these type of residents. Responsible informed people and providers understand this. It is just that simple. The Governor’s advisors were so focused on their plan to discharge all DD residents to a community setting they forgot to check with the real world first. To put it a different way - If the “One Size Fits All” community care delivery system COULD meet all the residents varied and comprehensive care needs you would be duplicating what the state facilties already do in small little community houses. Does that make any sense? NO.
If a resident care needs can be met and if they desire to live in the community they should. The problem with the slow placement process is reponsible informed people and providers know this cannot be done with the majority of the residents living in state facilities. They have aged in place over the years and are not the slightly to moderate developmental disabled resident. They have severe and muliple healh issues. The Governor adviser’s plan failed to take this fact into consideration. They didn’t understand the real world when decided to try to place all the residents in a community setting. The community delivery system is a hard sell because most of the residents in state facilities are heavy care. The numbers and the real world are against a fast placement process. The Governor’s advisers can have all the visions and interesting concepts but eventually the plan hits the real world. This is where you are at.
Comment by Concerned Dad Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 7:42 pm
I’ve been through the Kiley Center a number of times including many with the late Senator Geo-Karis, who fought to keep the place open over a decade ago.
It will not be easy moving those patients or finding them new homes. Pie in the sky treatment plans often have to give way to reality. Here’s hoping reality kicks in and the State ends up doing the right thing with those residents.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 9:01 pm
I am ashamed to live in the state of Illinois. I have the unique situation of being the guardian of a resident of a CILA (6 bed home) and my son lives at Murray Center in Centralia. My brother’s home is OK…..Murray Center is fantastic. My brother is high functioning and every one of the residents at the CILA have our phone number to call in case of problems…..they have called many times. The home is getting better, and I believe my brother is safe, but he needs NONE of the extensive services my son needs, who is 27, has an IQ of 18 and needs round the clock care…a CILA CANNOT PROVIDE THIS. Quality care givers will not go along with Kevin Casey and his band of yahoos……I have been talking to all of them for the past six months, and to this day have never been given concrete answers to my questions about 24 hour nursing care for these severely disabled. The reason there are SODCs is because the community cannot care for these people properly, especially with the rate the state pays them. Why would any loving parent move our loved one to a place where they will receive LESS care…..it would be child abuse…..the whole plan is immoral. I have repeatedly told Michelle SAdler, Kevin Casey, Michael Gelder, and Mark Doyle (and the Gov, but of course he never talks to anyone nor visits Murray) that they should build quality homes in the community, show us that they work for 10 years or so, and then just maybe we might move our loved ones, but I doubt it. Their goal is to get rid of our loved ones. I sincerely believe that if our loved ones die during this closure process they do not care. It would be one less person for the state to spend money on. I could go on and on, but after all these months I have never had my questions answered because guess what….they don’t really have a plan for quality placement….just a plan to get rid of our loved ones.
Comment by Rita Winkeler Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 9:03 pm
If the governor is closing Murray Center than why did 37 new positions get approved for the Center for staff? This doesn’t make sense and only adds to the confusion and anxiety of staff and parents. Governor Quinn needs to take another look at what he sees as the answers. The reason it is going so slow? It is because there are NO qualified community settings to meet the needs of of our fragile loved ones. What I don’t get is doesnt the governor realize if our loved ones could live in the community they would already be there or be home with us. It is because they can not becuase of behavioral and safety as well as medical concerns. The communities are understaffed, underpaid and have limited resources to take care of and/or deal with the behaviors that our loved ones sometimes experience out of frustration. My child is not a criminial and does not deserve to be treated as such when he becomes frustrated and acts out aggressively. I do not want him to hurt anyone when he has an outburst that is why he is at Murray. The staff there are heavily trained and qualified to manage behaviors. Governor Quinn, reconsider your position or what you are being spoon fed by others tha the community is more appropriate place. One size does not fit all.
Comment by Stacia Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 10:04 pm
My son is a resident at Murray Center. He is 6′5″, 250 pounds, severely autistic, nonverbal, and functions at the level of a 30 month old toddler. He needs 24/7 nursing care which community group homes cannot provide. He has serious behavior issues, the kind that a single caregiver in a group home cannot manage. Too many autistic people in community settings, including family homes, have been injured and even killed by police because of their behavior problems. This includes a 17 year old young man in Calumet City IL who was shot by police this last February and killed. The Governor and his associates have no real plan for placement of these developmentally disabled persons because, if they did, they would realize that even small group homes cannot meet the complex needs of the most severely disabled persons. When my son comes home for a weekend visit, it takes two parents to observe and supervise him 24/7. No group home will provide sufficient care for him. As a psychiatric nurse, I know that the deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally ill in the 1960s resulted in a permanent class of mentally ill homeless people. Is that what the Governor is seeking for the developmentally disabled? Shame on these pseudo-advocates for the disabled. They seem to think that the same “one size fits all” mentality that applies to cheap pantyhose also applies to the care of the developmentally disabled.
Comment by Dr. Karen Kelly Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 10:38 pm
so disabled persons at this time are not being moved out of facilities in the face of direct objections by their guardians?
Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 11:13 pm
Community Resource Associates (CRA) was hired on an emergency basis to transition I/DD individuals out of Jacksonville Developmental Center. Their 1.3 million dollar contract was to move 20 individuals per month from January -September 2012. CRA has failed miserably. Only 25 individuals have been moved to date (August) from JDC! The truth is they can’t find homes for these individuals and are kicking them out of their home with little to no training or preparation. This is an outrage! Now DHS is planning to RENEW CRA contract to repeat the same debacle at Murray Center in Centralia! WAKE UP ILLINOIS. These clowns should be run out on a rail!!! If any transition contract for 1.3 million is to be awarded, it should be awarded based on bids. CRA couldn’t perform. END THEIR CONTRACT. There is no emergency just a horrible crisis DHS and CRA have created with their failed, flawed plans.
Comment by Tess Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 11:34 pm
Rich, if the last comment is true, shine a spotlight on the company and it’s contract, and the agency that is managing it.
Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 11:44 pm
I am glad that the numbers are low, but the individuals moving out needs to STOP. All parents and guardians have made the decision that Murray Center and all other SODC’s are the best place for their loved ones, otherwise they would have made their home somewhere else. The total of individuals according to the information listed is 2,096,know add all the family of the individuals, all of the staff, plus all other businesses that will suffer and you have well above 10,000 (just my guess) lives affected but the choice to close SODC’s, not counting the prisons and other state facilities and I am sure that number will grow MUCH higher. I can not understand how some people, especially Governor Quinn, can sleep at night knowing that their decision to close above mentioned facilities will cause so much pain and suffering for those that are affected. Isn’t the Governor suppose to want the best for the citizens of Illinois, this plan is not the best. Community placement is great for those who can thrive by living there, unfortunately NOT all can. Not only do I work at Murray Center, but my cousin lives at Murray Center and I know that his family knows that he receives great care by all that take care of him, I can only imagine what the parents and guardians are feeling knowing that someone is trying to take his home and does not care about his well being, they only want to find a home that is willing to take him, no matter what the cost his to his safety and well being and how you will turn his life upside down by dropping him off at another home and turning around to never look back to make sure his needs and wants are being are met. The transitions out of the SODC’s has got to STOP. One size does not fit all.
Comment by sbam78 Thursday, Aug 23, 12 @ 11:50 pm
If the decision makers would actually visit Murray Center they might come to understand the severity of the disabilities present at this facility. My loved one has the mind of an infant inside the body of an adult. He is totally dependent on others for absolutely every need including feeding. He has many medical issues. He is repositioned every 2 hours and cannot express his needs. He is visually and hearing impaired. I will never be convinced that a group home can actually meet his needs in a more cost effective or more compassionate manner than Murray Center. Community placement will make him vulnerable to abuse and neglect as caring for him is very labor intensive and he cannot express any wrongdoing to me or anyone else. He does not need “independence” he needs appropriate care! Murray has been his home for 47 years. Mr. Moss or Governor Quinn…. can you tell me honestly that putting him in a 2-4 bedroom home will improve his quality of life? It will in fact likely kill him and others like him. 2-4 bedroom homes are not the answer for the severely disabled. Murray understands the needs of this population and provides appropriate care. The closure of SODCs needs to stop. The guardians of Murray Center residents understand the needs of their loved ones and we will continue to fight to ensure that our loved ones receive appropriate care.
Comment by Laurie Stengler Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 12:38 am
Please visit our website to learn about the importance of Murray Center. www.MurrayParentsAssociation.com
Comment by Laurie Stengler Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 1:02 am
Steve - even though you stuck me on your bowling team in 1973, I’ll tell you it’s true…thus far CRA has been paid 1.2 mil of their 1.35 contract. $900 K was paid in fy12 and an additional $300 K paid on 8/14…its on the Comptroller’s website and the TIN # is 593784639
Comment by Steve's former employee Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 6:38 am
There were no performance criteria in the CRA contract for JDC. CRA could accomplish nothing and still get paid. Ridiculous! I have a copy of that contract through FOIA. However, my request,and the requests of other Murray families, for all documents generated by or received in DHS related to the closure of Murray Center has not been honored. All I got was a link to the already public COGFA website. I complained to the Attorney General’s office and they sent a letter to DHS demanding compliance. After almost two weeks, and after some additional FOIA requests, I have heard nothing. Now the CRA people are on the Murray campus, stating they will not honor the written refusals of guardians to allow them access to our loved ones records. If they view a restricted record or meet a resident over the objections of a guardian, that is a privacy violation under HIPAA. I’d love to see the Feds get into this.
There are rumors in Springfield that med errors that have been uncovered by inspectors to group homes are being removed from final reports by DHS. If these rumors are true, it is another black mark on DHS.
Comment by Dr. Karen Kelly Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 7:41 am
I don’t believe the Gov’s Office could be stupid enough to extend CRA’s contract to go to Murray. However it is true that they are now working @ Murray but still under the JDC contract. That will act as insurance against any placements out of Murray since CRA has no credibility whatsoever with quality community providers and the quality providers will sit Murray out as long as CRA is in play.
Comment by Murray Supporter Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 7:55 am
“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life…. the children;
those who are in the twilight of life… the elderly;
and those who are in the shadow of life….
the sick… the needy… and the disabled.” Hubert Humphrey
Illinois is failing miserably.
The SODCs serve the most severely disabled. They have well trained staff and procedures in place to ensure proper care is provided. Murray Center must stay open.
Comment by Laurie Stengler Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 11:16 am
Mr Moss:
There are thirty seven comments in less than 24 hours with only 1 or 2 supporting your vision.
Does this tell you anything. Where are your supporters?
I suggest you read these comments. These comments will give you the reasons why your plan will never work. These comments will educate you on issues that are part of the real DD world.
These are not just reactions of a few parents but people that are concerned about a moral issue. What you are wanting to do is violating the dignity of DD residents. You and the other Governor’s advisers did not do your research before you made the decision to promote a care delivery system that doesn’t have the resoures to care for heavy care residents adequately.
These parents and other supporters are not going to go away. In fact, they are gaining more support each day as the general public learns more and more about the real issues of yoyr plan. Their network grows each day. I will make a bet that you have not gained many new supporters. You are part of the same small group that failed to listen to the people that understood the real facts. Correct? You promoted a plan that is flawed.
When any plan is implemented there will always be a initial reaction. The pros and cons of the issue will be discussed by informed stakeholders and if it is a good plan everyone moves on. If it is a bad plan the reaction never stops because there is a very basic flaw in the plan that informed people cannot accept. They know it is flawed.
You are not going to win this one. You are losing energy each day. If you don’t reverse your position soon there will come a day when you go one step too far (like just dumping residents into inappropreiate community settings) and this situation will become a real mess for you.The news media will bury you. Why? because there are a lot of good people in this state that understand common sense and have a moral compass. You are promoting a plan that is not sound. If your plan is not working at this point in time the odds of it working in the future is slim to none. Give it up.
You and your other Govenor’s advisers have a great idea. Nothing wrong with your intention or objective. DD residents that can and want to live in the community should. However you all failed to check into the “details” of the DD industry before you proceded down a path of no return. The majority of the residents in state operated facility have been placed there for a reason. They are heavy care. They came from the same industry you want to send them back to or do not want them. It should not be a surprise that your discharge rate is so slow. Please think about this. Give it up and save everyone a lot of frustration and money.
Comment by Gerry Haar - Father of Brian Haar Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 11:34 am
Our daughter Willa Wright has been a resident of Murray Center 41 yrs. The only home she’s known. She is severly mentally and physically disabeled, on a feeding tube and needs 24/7 nursing care. No other facility could possibly give her the care she needs. The Murray staff and Medical personell are excellent and always there on a minutes notice to attend to her needs. It is sickening to believe that Gov Quinn would put money ahead of these little vulnerable people and the staff. The residents at Murray Center need to keep their home and the staff need to keep their jobs.
Comment by Parents of Willa Wright Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 12:08 pm
Murray Center is located in Centralia, home of the Orphans. Weave a basketball coach here who teaches a little nugget of wisdom that I wish Gov. Quinn had had an opportunity to learn. That nugget is this- “Don’t be in a hurry to miss!”. On the basketball court the player who’s in a hurry, doesn’t follow plans who doesn’t play as a team hurts his team. Yes the goal is to make a shot, and following the team’s plan is the best way to ensure making that shot. When a player doesn’t follow the plan and doesn’t Play as a team he let’s his team down. The team loses.
Our governor has not attended one practice. He has never stepped foot into Murray Center or Jacksonville developmental center. Our governor is not following the plans set forth by various professionals. He instead has taken a couple of players to the side and they are trying to make their own plays. But the governor is in a hurry to miss. He wants to be the hero, whe in reality this is about the team. Unfortunately in this game if the governor misses people will be hurt.
The goal of that team of professionals that I spoke of is very simple. First is assuring protection from harm. Second is maintaining dignity and respect. When those first two things are accomplished then we can begin the process of active treatment, of actively teaching the individual what’s needed to obtain greater independence. That team of professionals then is trying to assist that person to safely transition into the least restrictive environment for that person’s capabilities.
Gov. Quinn is in a hurry to miss and he’s forgotten about protection from harm and dignity and respect! There are already media reports of individuals being injured because of poor planning before their transfer from Jacksonville. And how dignified and respectful is it when a person looks at your home from afar without ever coming to see it and decides that it’s not good enough. The individuals of Murray Center deserve an opportunity for a layup and that’s what we’ve been trying to provide them. But it’s hard work and it takes planning and time and patience and effort.
Please Governor let’s go for a layup!
Comment by Parentoforphan Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 12:27 pm
MY daughter has lived at Murray’s Center for 25 yrs. She came there with a trach to be cared for and on oxygen because she could’t breath . We had been at ST.Louis University Hospital for 10 weeks and then told you have to find placement for her. Her life expectacy was very, very low when we came to Murray’s. She was in a 0 level coma for more than a year and I was told by all her Drs. to be prepared for her immintent death. I was on my knees to my GOD not to take my only child away from me and PRAISE him ,he listened and I still have her. I am now on my knees again, asking GOD not to let uninformed men to take my beautiful child away from me. She has to have 24/7 by our nurses and trained staff or ONE mistake and it will cost her life. She requires tremondous care , and 25 yrs. proves what kind of facility we are. Good men with the right heart ,built this home for our disabled. They were needed then, they are needed NOW.
Comment by Cork's Mom friday,aug. 24th. Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 1:53 pm
Having worked at Murray for a number of years, I’ve seen people come and I’ve seen people go. Some come, learn skills they need, get seizure meds and behavior meds adjusted, and when an APPROPRIATE community living arrangement is located, we successfully transition that person into it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. In my own personal experience, it seems to be more successful when time is taken to search for the “right” place, when a person is taken to visit several (or many) times, and when the provider is able to meet the unique needs of the person. That kind of process works. I can’t count on both hands the number of admissions I, myself, have been involved with in the past 10 or so years where the person came from 1) JAIL, 2)a CILA, and 3) a Psych hospital. Do you know what that tells me? That tells me there are not adequate services IN THE COMMUNITIES. We would not have admitted those people to Murray if there was not a demonstrated NEED for places like Murray. If there were, there would be no PUNS list. If the governor want to do something constructive, he should first get services to those people on that list. If “money follows the person” truly works, then there will be NO savings from closing SODC’s. And if there is actual savings, then “money follows the person” is just a meaningless phrase thrown around by people with questionable agendas (who stand to profit financially).
Comment by Wants what's right for each Friday, Aug 24, 12 @ 3:54 pm
Inresponse to Mr. Moss’ figures, I have submitted below the latest SODC census figures and resident status. Out of a total census of 1957 residents, 575 (29%) are classified as”individuals with medical and/or behavioral needs preventing transition to the community at this time”. Further, 1109 residents (57%)are classified as “individuals and/or guardians saying NO to community placement at this time. I submit that when you have a combined total of 86% of the residents identified as unable or unwilling to move from SODC’s to community services, the Governor’s plan is terribly flawed. In fact, the plan is a perfect example of THE TYRANNY OF GOOD INTENTIONS, supported of course by Mr. Moss and his compatriots. Governor Quinn, Mr. Moss, we are not going away !
Comment by George A. Monday, Aug 27, 12 @ 10:43 am
Our Daughter Willa Wright has been at WGM for 42 yrs. She is severly physically and mentally disabeled. This is the only home she knows her. She’s on a feeding tube and needs 24/7 nursing care. The staff at Murray Center Know her and her needs and they have the knowledge of how to comply with them. There is no better staff or midical personell that is able to care for these little vulnarable people. I cannot understand why Gov Quinn is so heartless and feels the need to close the homes of so many. I”m sure if he had a severly disabeled child,as many of these, he would not want to close the doors on their home.
Comment by Parents of Willa Wright Monday, Aug 27, 12 @ 3:33 pm
There are thousands on the PUNS list who want community placement but the state has not been able to place these developmentally disabled people. Now Gov. Quinn and his henchmen and henchwomen in DHS and the overpaid consultants from CRA think they will place the residents of Jacksonville and Murray Centers? Really? Having been a nurse for 40 years and a psychiatric nurse for most of those years, I have to wonder how DHS plans to pull this off. Oh, I know—from hearing them speak at a Senate appropriations committee hearing and the COGFA hearing in Centralia, I know that they have no real plan. They have vague ideas but they don’t even seem to be aware of the lack of appropriate services in the community.
Comment by Dr. Karen Kelly Monday, Aug 27, 12 @ 10:39 pm
Seems to me like Mr Moss’s comments speak more to community providers who cannot meet the needs of higher needs people in the community. Maybe that says something about what’s available? Those CRA evaluations still don’t bring psychiatric care to small towns. They still don’t bring dental services to needed places. CRA can’t control which hospitals have expertise in treating DD persons who have MI components. Closing SODC’s won’t provide better services in some areas. Instead, there will be no services at all. This seems like a swing and a miss to me. You can’t hit a target that isn’t there.
Comment by citizen Tuesday, Aug 28, 12 @ 7:07 am