Provided courtesy of Sonoma Valley TV, via YouTube. Special thanks to Bob T. at KSVY.org
Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act
Sonoma Land Trust Testimony, DDS Public Hearing
COMMENTS BY SONOMA LAND TRUST
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF SONOMA DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
JULY 18, 2015
SONOMA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, SONOMA, CA
My name is John McCaull, and I am a Land Acquisition Program Manager for the Sonoma Land Trust. I currently live in Glen Ellen, and have lived and worked in Sonoma County for the past 10 years. In my role with the land trust, I primarily focus on advancing our conservation agenda in the Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mountain region. I also serve on the steering committee for the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) Coalition chaired by Supervisor Susan Gorin.
SDC has been a defining institution of the State of California and the Sonoma Valley for over 125 years. There have been 23 Governors-if you count Jerry Brown twice-who have served since Robert Waterman became Governor in 1891. As we face a decision by Governor Brown and the California Legislature to close SDC by 2018, we need to make choices over the next few years that honor the legacy of this incredible facility, and the remarkable natural lands that surround the developed campus.
Because time is limited today, I want to focus my testimony in outlining how the Sonoma Land Trust and the SDC Coalition intend to provide input to the closure plan, and the discussion of future uses of the property. Today, we are just submitting these general comments. By the September 1st comment deadline, we will also submit much more detailed written comments addressing many of the different aspects of closure, and potential reuse ideas for the property.
In addition to our organization’s comments, we are working through the TransformSDC Project and the SDC Coalition with a team of consultants and the entire Sonoma community to produce a feasibility study for different use scenarios for SDC. This study will look at comparable models from around the country for other facilities and properties that may have faced similar choices while going through a major use transition. We will submit a draft of the feasibility study by September 1, and a final draft sometime during the month of September.
Based on the community workshop held in early May in Sonoma, we have also distilled a draft mission/vision statement for a transformed SDC:
Create a public-private partnership driven by community ideas and values that showcases the site’s history, maintains critical services for the developmentally disabled and preserves the natural resources and open space of the site.
We have been calling these our pillars for a transformed SDC: a new regional hub for housing and health care services for the developmentally disabled and a protected and intact natural landscape. We believe this is also the vision that an overwhelming majority of Sonoma residents support.
Under the California Welfare and Institutions Code, whenever the Department of Developmental Services proposes to close a developmental center, they have to hold at least one public hearing prior to submitting the closure plan to the Legislature. Until this past year, the law has been unclear on the actual impact and substantive weight of public testimony. The law only states that DDS has to “summarize public comment” in the plan.
If the purpose of today’s hearing is just to patiently sit through hours of testimony and then summarize and categorize comments, this will have been a waste of everyone’s time. I believe that the DDS staff here today, Director Rogers and Secretary Dooley are all committed to the idea that the SDC closure planning process is different than any previous effort in California. I believe that DDS is making a conscious choice by using the “transform” language on their web site and the notice for this meeting to return to the spirit and recommendations from the January 2014 “Task Force Report on the Future of Developmental Centers in California.” Transform is a very different word than close, so I hope the real purpose of today-and the work we do together over the next few months-is the beginning of a creative and collaborative discussion about what a “transformed” SDC looks like, how do we fund it, and how do we make it happen.
One of the things that is certainly different from previous closures is our local legislators and Sonoma County spent months advocating for improvements to the closure law to ensure that we have a real voice in shaping the future of SDC, and influencing the manner in which “closure” happens. There are new requirements adopted as part of the state budget that dramatically increase the specificity of what needs to be in a closure plan, and a new requirement that DDS “shall confer with the county in which the development center is located, and shall consider recommendations for the use of the developmental center property.”
In the months to come, we are going to spend a lot of time talking about how to realize our vision, what the various costs and practical consideration are, and how to identify other complementary uses that are consistent and compatible with the two pillars we have identified. What we ask of DDS, Secretary Dooley and Governor Brown is true collaboration and a commitment to treat Sonoma as an equal partner in determining the future of SDC. That is the only real way to honor the legacy of this amazing institution.
Thanks very much.
To view a PDF version of Sonoma Land Trust’s testimony for future reference or to print it at your convenience, please click here.
Articles, Encapsulating the DDS Public Hearing
July 21, 2015:
With the DDS Public Hearing held last Saturday, there have been an array of articles summarizing what was heard from the community. Consisting of public testimonies, to that of personal stories from family members and friends, the concern for the future of those living at the Sonoma Developmental Center was voiced. Starting with 125 people in attendance, those who spoke shared the importance of keeping the Center open for this fragile population, as well as preserving the surrounding wildlife.
Please click on the following articles below, starting with the most recent on top to get a clearer perspective on the significance of protecting both the natural resources on the 950-acre property as well as access to critical care for residents.
Public testimony reveals pain of SDC closure, July 20
Family members argue against closure of Sonoma Developmental Center, July 18
Sonoma Developmental Center hearing, July 18
Human stories to be aired at SDC session, July 16
Provided courtesy of the Sonoma Index-Tribune website by Christian Kallen and by Bill Hoban, and the Press Democrat website by Kevin McCallum, respectively.
Action Alert! Turn Out for Public Hearing on the Future of SDC on July 18th
July 14, 2015:
Governor Brown directed the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to close the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) by 2018, and submit a closure plan to the Legislature by October 1, 2015. DDS is holding a mandatory public hearing on “Transformation of Sonoma Developmental Center” this Saturday, July 18, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sonoma Valley High School. In order to be most effective, we need to show DDS that we care, that we share a common vision, and that we are organized and able to turn out in large numbers.
This Action Alert provides information about the hearing, the process for submitting oral or written comments, and suggested talking points.
Please click on the link provided below to view.
Thank you!
PHA: Essential Elements of a Plan for Closure of SDC
July 14, 2015:
Below is the Parent Hospital Association’s (PHA) Essential Elements of an SDC Closure/Transformation. It mirrors the coalition service plan in most ways, but in addition, includes a couple other aspects that the PHA board thought essential to the plan.
The plan is also available as a downloadable PDF, provided here.
Essential Elements of a Plan for Closure
of Sonoma Developmental Center
submitted on behalf of PHA
In the plan for closure of Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) completed by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), there should be certain elements included. These elements have been used in plans for closure in other states where there has been a directed effort to reduce reliance on institutional facilities and to provide for the variety of needs that are created by not having them.
First, the plan should include provisions for services to individuals who have been deflected to inappropriate living situations because there has been a multi-year “moratorium” on admissions to SDC. These individuals would include minimally the individuals registered with the eight Northern California Regional Centers who would have normally referred clients to SDC who:
1. Currently reside in jail.
2. Currently reside in an acute psychiatric facility or being held on a 5150.
3. Have been held on a 5150 in an acute psychiatric facility more than three (3) times in the last year.
4. Have been recommended to be demitted from their current home due to behavioral issues.
5. Is living in temporary housing such as a homeless shelter, hotel, or other such arrangement,
6. Are determined to be at significant risk of harm to self or others in their current home with the level of care and support currently provided.
Second, the plan should include personally required services currently provided at SDC and not readily available in the community living arrangements in the eight Northern California Regional Centers. PHA’s position is that these services should be developed on the SDC site concurrent with closure activities. These services would include a clinic that:
1. Provides a primary care physician that would be responsible for coordinating the overall health care management
2. Provides an annual dental examination & treatment as necessary;
3. Provides durable medical equipment adaptation and maintenance and repair.
4. Coordinates a review by a neurologist if the individual has a seizure disorder and has had more than 3 seizures in a 30 day period;
5. Coordinates a review by an ophthalmologist for all individuals over the age of 65 for cataracts or other eye diseases and availability of alternatives;
6. Provides an annual review by a psychiatrist or physician with more than 2 years of experience with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of their psychiatric/behavioral medication regimen; and
7. Provides a review by a licensed psychologist of the individual’s behavior support plans if they require them upon their move from SDC and annually thereafter.
8. Retain acute care license for clinic/medical facility.
Third, any plan that is developed should include the assurance of transparency in reporting, including information to assist in the assessment of the placement and support of the individual being moved from SDC including all information currently available from SDC, especially
1. Any use of restraint, manual or mechanical,
2. Any use of seclusion
3. Any use of emergency psychiatric medications, (STAT)
4. Any significant injury received by the individual during a behavioral episode
5. Any unexplained injury
6. A mortality review of all deaths.
Fourth, the plan should include the availability of emergency services and other necessary medical and health services on the SDC site, including
1.Behavioral/psychiatric emergency and crisis services, overseen by a licensed psychologist or physician with 2 years of experience working with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities available within 2 – 72 hours
2. A facility that can provide longer term behavioral treatment from which they cannot be expelled or demitted
3. Enhanced behavioral homes with delayed egress
With these elements included in the plan for a closure of SDC, there is at least a plan to provide for the care and support necessary to maintain, assess, review, intervene when necessary and assure the ongoing success of the individual, especially those with complex behavioral and dual diagnosis needs.
Provided courtesy of the Parent Hospital Association (PHA).
Another Announcement for the Developmental Center Hearing, July 18
July 10, 2015:
The following excerpt is from the announcement posted on the Sonoma Valley Sun website, also available for viewing here.
The state’s Department of Developmental Services will hold a public meeting on the transformation of Sonoma Developmental Center on Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sonoma Valley High School. The hearing is one of the steps required by Senate Bill 82, signed by the governor in June. It requires the DDS to come up with a plan to close the Eldridge campus by the end of 2018. As part of that process, the DDS is seeking public comment. Hence the upcoming meeting, where anybody who wants to speak has a five-minute opportunity, for the record… Don’t expect much from DDS officials, who are only there to hear testimony; they will not answer questions or make additional statements. Can’t make it? Participate by phone, live at 800.230.1059. You can also get your comments on the record (five minutes of words?) via e-mail to: Sonoma.closure@dds.ca.gov.
It won’t affect the closure timeline, but some good news for the SDC: money to help with the transition. The feds have come through with Medicaid funds that had been blocked by a decertification action. The center can now count on about $53 million (about one-third of its budget) as it makes plans to transfer patients and shut down. “The agreement aids in the efforts for a safe transition of residents from Sonoma to the community,” stated Santi Rogers of the DDS.
Provided courtesy of the Sonoma Valley Sun website, by Val Robichaud.
Public Hearing on the Sonoma Developmental Center
July 8, 2015:
Those who are concerned, hopeful, or just want to hear what others in the community have to say about the future of SDC, please come to the public hearing being held next Saturday, July 18 at Sonoma Valley High School from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the Pavilion.
Additional information is available via our most recent post provided here and the news article below.
Hope to see you there!
Public Hearing: Sonoma Developmental Center
Provided courtesy of the Sonoma Valley Sun website.
DDS Announces Public Hearing on SDC Closure, July 18 in Sonoma
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.
New DDS Website for SDC
July 2, 2015:
Please view DDS’s new website on the Sonoma Developmental Center here for all the latest correspondence, public comments and notices, as well as resources and links relating to the Transform SDC project.
Provided courtesy of the State of California Department of Developmental Services website.
Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Synthesis Report
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!
Transform SDC 