Developmental Centers Task Force

Breaking News: Agreement with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Continued Federal Funding for Sonoma Developmental Center

/ Sonoma Land Trust / Leave a comment

July 1, 2015:

BREAKING NEWS:

California has announced its agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue federal financial participation for Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) for up to two years.

As said by Diana S. Dooley, Secretary of the Health and Human Services Agency,

“We are working in collaboration with our federal partners to ensure quality care and service continue at Sonoma while…”

Please click on the link provided below to view California’s Department of Developmental Services News Release, and don’t forget to click on the links within the News Release for additional information on their plan moving forward as well as the Sonoma Settlement Agreement.

California Announces Agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Continued Federal Funding for Sonoma Developmental Center

These documents are also provided via the DDS’s website provided below.

Thank you!

Provided courtesy of the California Department of Developmental Services website, (at www.dds.ca.gov), under Highlights.

California Senators to Discuss Funding

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 1 Comment

June 29, 2015:

Because California’s new budget did not include extra funds for programs geared towards those with developmental disabilities, Governor Brown has called for a special session in order to discuss how the state could raise the money.

“State senators who will serve on a special session to discuss additional funding for services for those with developmental disabilities have been chosen, but it’s uncertain when the committee will convene.”

Please click on the link below to read more on this update.

California senators chosen to discuss funding for developmentally disabled

Provided courtesy of the Los Angeles Daily News, by Susan Abram.

SB 82, DDS Trailer Bill

/ Sonoma Land Trust / Leave a comment

June 26, 2015:

With the approval of the state’s new budget for FY 2015-2016, the Legislature also passed a “budget trailer bill” that details the process and requirements for the preparation of a closure plan by October 1, 2015. Language in italics are new requirements for the closure plan process, and existing law is in regular font.

Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Thank you!

SB 82, DDS Trailer Bill

Change, SDC’s Future

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

June 25, 2015:

Revised to include the “Outside SDC” section of the article.

A great article from the Valley of the Moon Magazine describes the Sonoma Developmental Center by capturing the struggles the Center continues to face and the obvious fact that change will happen in the near future.

Because of the wealth of diverse habitats, maybe change to the build area at SDC should have a different footprint in order to protect the wildlife corridor and groundwater recharge as described within the “Outside SDC” section of the article on page 3.

“400 SEVERELY DISABLED HUMAN BEINGS,
1,300 JOBS, 945 ACRES OF PRICELESS OPEN SPACE.
WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLD?”

Please take a few minutes to read this insightful article below.

Inside Outside SDC

Provided courtesy of the Valley of the Moon Magazine, with stories and photos by David Bolling and Caitlin Cornwall.

Change, SDC’s Future

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 5 Comments

June 15, 2015:

A great article from the Valley of the Moon Magazine describes the Sonoma Developmental Center, capturing the struggles the Center continues to face and the obvious fact that change will happen in the near future.

“400 severely disabled human beings,
1,300 jobs, 945 acres of priceless open space.
What will the future hold?”

Please take a few minutes to read this insightful article below.

Inside Outside SDC

Provided courtesy of the Valley of the Moon Magazine, with stories and photos by David Bolling.

Programs For Developmentally Disabled Could Be Cut

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

June 10, 2015:

Workshops such as the one described in the article below allow individuals with developmental disabilities to feel a sense of independence that they can’t find just anywhere. Although California has the largest amount of developmentally disabled individuals, we spend the least, and with program closures, beds and work options for this fragile population have been lost.

Please click on the link below to read the rest of this article.

Developmentally disabled to lose programs if California budget remains stagnant

Provided courtesy of the Los Angeles Daily News website, by Susan Abram.

SDC Fact Sheet For Our Legislative Effort

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

June 1, 2015:

Sonoma County, Parent Hospital Association, Sonoma Ecology Center and the Sonoma Land Trust have produced a two page “fact sheet” for use in our legislative effort to ensure that the closure process for SDC includes meaningful and significant public participation, and that the residents, employees and resources of SDC are honored and protected during this process.  The fact sheet is in direct response to many of the concerns and criticisms that we heard in the Legislature this past year about the quality of care at SDC, and a general lack of knowledge about its many benefits and resources.

Please take a look at the fact sheet provided in the link below.

SDC Fact Sheet

Continuing Talks About SDC Closure

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 4 Comments

June 1, 2015:

The desire to close the Sonoma Developmental Center in three years, as previously stated is too soon. But with this timeline in place, the coalition has been working extra hard to find a way to extend it and create a plan based off the feedback received at the first workshop to delay these closure plans imposed by Governor Brown’s office.

For the latest article on SDC, please click on the link below.

Governor wants to close SDC in three years

Provided courtesy of The Kenwood Press website, by Jay Gamel.

SDC Budget Letter Regarding Proposed Closure of Sonoma Developmental Center in State Budget

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

May 20, 2015:

The following is the letter state legislators representing Sonoma County and the Sonoma Developmental Center have submitted to the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees regarding the recent budget proposal.

“We ask that the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees consider a more reasonable timeline to allow better planning to ensure patient health and safety, community preparedness, and….”

Click on the link below to read the entirety of the letter.

SDC Budget Letter from Dodd, McGuire, Wolk, and Wood

The New Budget, Sonoma Developmental Center’s Possible Future

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 1 Comment

May 19, 2015:

As stated in last weeks article post, Governor Brown has revealed a plan to close the facility by 2018. SDC, and all of the remaining DC facilities in California, are home to the most fragile populations within our state health care system. The Governor’s budget has proposed that the Department of Developmental Services submit the closure plan for the Sonoma Developmental Center to the Legislature by October 1, 2015.  Members of the SDC Coalition and our local legislators are pushing back to extend the timeline for this report, and require a more collaborative and open dialogue with our local elected officials and community groups before submittal of a closure plan.  Stay tuned!

Please check out the following articles below for all of the details.

New Budget calls for closing Sonoma Developmental Center by 2018

PD Editorial: A hasty bid to shut down Sonoma center

Provided courtesy of the Press Democrat website, by Derek Moore.