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.
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.
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.
July 2, 2015:
An agreement has been reached that secures continued federal Medicaid funding for the Eldridge facility, as previously stated here.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
June 16, 2015:
With news of Governor Brown’s plan to close SDC by 2018, the Sonoma legislative delegation has been urging the Governor to include critical protections for SDC residents, staff and the property’s natural resources in the final version of the FY 2015-2016 state budget which directs DDS to submit a closure plan to the Legislature for review.
“Ensuring that appropriate and individualized community services are in place before residents are moved from the SDC to community placements. Ensuring that critical services…”
Please click on the link provided below to read the rest of this letter.
Thank you!
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.
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.
Transform SDC 