March 10, 2016:
The final countdown has begun for the last of three large state-run institutions that care for the severely disabled: In less than six years, almost all of their residents are likely to be transferred to other settings.
It’s the end of a long era in providing care to people in large institutional settings.
The public comment period ended last week on a plan to move 776 patients currently housed at the three development centers into smaller community-based homes. The state expects the move to save it roughly $250 million a year.
Please click on the link provided below to read more of this article.
California’s Last Institutions for Developmentally Disabled to be Closed
Provided courtesy of KQED News website, by David Gorn at California Healthline.
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Transform SDC 
It is so tragic. All they care about is the state saving money. How is dispersing profoundly damaged and limited people to many small homes going to save money except that they figure they can get away with paying people who take care of these people less money. The community is not prepared to deal with these people unless they come up with a clinic, staffed by the caregivers from Sonoma Developmental Center, to deal with their overwhelming problems. But they had better come up with that soon or the caregivers from SDC will have disbursed to other jobs taking all their knowledge. The community is not going to want to foot the expense to give these extremely damaged people the care they require. Shameless.
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It’s more than tragic – it’s shameful. I attended Senator McGuire’s Legislature Hearing on the matter on Feb 23rd (2016) and left confounded. I listened to each panel trying to understand what they were saying. All’s I heard was, “we think” “we expect” “we plan” etc., instead of when, what, where, and how! I heard the person in charge, his assistant, and various planning people unable to say anything definitive. You wonder “whose on first” or why there are so many cooks in the kitchen, each contributing a projected maybe for our severely, physically, and mentally handicapped loved ones. They established a closing date for Sonoma but did so ahead of what they know is necessary before any closing can begin – in effect putting the cart before the horse. We are talking about life and death issues of human beings – those that cannot live without the medical care they get by the dedicated caregivers with immense patience and understanding at SDC. I admire Senator McGuire’s help and interest in this debacle but it’s already a far gone conclusion. Sonoma will close and what happens to those who live there, no one seems to know anything for sure. But then that’s the government for you. I have shed many a tear over this disastrous closure, along with others who have relatives living at SDC, and we wonder what will happen to our sons, daughters, and relatives who need their home in order to survive. I pray someone can come up with an idea to transform SDC into something all can benefit. It won’t benefit anyone now except the developers who are after the land and are at the ready to destroy the haven set up long ago for the unfortunate living there. They should consider: There but for the Grace of God goes I.
JPruett
3/20/2016
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