Eldridge

DDS Announces Public Hearing on SDC Closure, July 18 in Sonoma

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 3 Comments

July 7, 2015:

The Department of Developmental Services has published the following public notice for A Public Hearing on the Transformation of Sonoma Developmental Center.

To access a copy of the letter about the hearing noticed by DDS and sent by Sonoma Developmental Center to conservators click here.

TO INTERESTED PARTIES
A Public Hearing on the Transformation of
Sonoma Developmental Center

Senate Bill 82, signed by the governor June 24, 2015, requires the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to submit a plan or plans to the Legislature by October 1, 2015, to close one or more of the state’s three remaining developmental centers. Efforts are underway to submit a plan to close Sonoma Developmental center (SDC) in Eldridge, CA by the end of 2018. As a required part of the development of a closure plan specific to SDC, DDS is seeking public comment from interested persons and organizations. These comments will be summarized in the closure plan to be submitted by October 1, 2015, for Legislative approval.

DDS will hold this public hearing on Saturday, July 18, 2015, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Sonoma Valley High School Pavilion, 20000 Broadway, Sonoma, CA.

Agenda:
Introduction — 10-10:15 a.m.
Public Testimony — 10:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.

To assure each person who wants to speak has the opportunity, individuals providing testimony are asked to keep their comments to approximately five minutes. Written comments may be submitted in person at the hearing, to DDS online at http://www.dds.ca.gov/SonomaNews/, by mail to DDS, Developmental Centers Division, Attn: Cindy Coppage, 1600 9th Street, MS 3-17, Sacramento, CA 95814, or via e-mail to Sonoma.closure@dds.ca.gov by 5 p.m. on September 1, 2015.

Sonoma Valley High School Pavilion is physically accessible to persons with disabilities. Printed materials in alternate formats and requests for sign language interpreters, or other disability-related accommodations, should be made to DDS @ (916) 654-1706 or email: Sonoma.closure@dds.ca.gov by 5 p.m. on July 14, 2015.

To view the original public notice received by PHA, please click here, and a later copy of the agenda here.

Provided courtesy of the Department of Developmental Services and the Parent Hospital Association websites.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Synthesis Report

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

July 2, 2015:

Transform SDC
Dream, Create, Transform.

Introduction
A diverse partnership comprised of the County of Sonoma, the Parent Hospital Association, the Sonoma Land Trust, the Sonoma Ecology Center and other local groups have come together to create a comprehensive and inclusive 18-month planning process to explore options for the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) that preserve the unique human health, community and natural resources provided by SDC. On Saturday, May 2nd, more than 200 people participated in the first community workshop to kick-off the Transform SDC planning process. The theme of the workshop focused on empowering the community to begin to establish a vision to Dream, Create, Transform the site. This document synthesizes the community’s input which defined initial elements of a community vision for the future of SDC, explored possible re-use options, and identified areas for further inquiry and investigation.

Please click on the synthesis report provided below to explore the results from the first community workshop.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Synthesis Report

As well, a more extensive list of re-use ideas is provided below for those who would like to see the full range of viewpoints that came out of the workshop.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Re-use Ideas

Enjoy!

Federal Funding Deal Reached for Sonoma Developmental Center

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 3 Comments

July 2, 2015:

An agreement has been reached that secures continued federal Medicaid funding for the Eldridge facility, as previously stated here.

“Rogers (Director of the state Department of Developmental Services) said the federal funding will help the department transform the Sonoma Facility as described in a plan produced by a special task force that INVESTIGATED the future of the state’s developmental centers.”

Please read the rest of the article by clicking on the link below.

Deal reached to preserve Sonoma Developmental Center’s federal funding

Provided courtesy of the Press Democrat website, by Martin Espinoza.

Response, Rush to Close SDC

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July 2, 2015:

With almost 400 residents at the Sonoma Developmental Center, the rush to provide a closure plan by October 1 has parents and guardians searching for some sense of assurance that their loved ones will be cared for.

Please click on the link provided below to read this insightful article.

Parents, guardians not happy with rush to close SDC

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

SB 82, DDS Trailer Bill

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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.

One of SDC’s Crafts

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June 8, 2015:

Working as a cobbler for the Sonoma Developmental Center, Lisa Glover has crafted shoes to fit those whose feet are contorted. She enables the residents to move around pain-free because of these shoes; propelling themselves in their wheelchairs, and protected their feet from bruises.

Please click on the link provided below to read more of this article or visit the website here to view the article at its source.

An anachronism, a cobbler and Alice

Provided courtesy of The Sacramento Bee website, by Dan Morain.

Sonoma Developmental Center, Sonoma Land Trust Update

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

June 5, 2015:

Following on the heels of our Transform SDC public workshop, we learned that the Governor’s budget calls for an expedited closure plan of the Sonoma Development Center.

Ultimately, the plan for Sonoma Development Center needs to represent a public-private partnership which creates durable solutions that are derived from the ideas and interests of the community.

Please take a couple of minutes to read the SDC update provided in the link below.

Sonoma Developmental Center, Sonoma Land Trust Update