ADDP strongly endorses the closing of the state schools

ADDP has long advocated for the closing of state facilities. We believe that people with developmental/intellectual disabilities can be better supported in community. Continued support of large state facilities creates a drain on resources that could be put to better use in meeting the real needs of individuals with disabilities. Massachusetts has an enviable track record of providing quality support and welcoming innovation. However, with regard to operating state facilities we are behind the times. Most New England states (ME, NH, VT and RI) operate without an institution and have for many years. Connecticut has one; Massachusetts has six.

Can community supports and services meet the complex needs of individuals now in state facilities?

The present community system has the capability of responding to the needs of anyone presently living in a state facility. Already, more than 4,500 people have moved from Massachusetts’ facilities to the community. In 1977, the facility population was 5,616 and today it is less than 1,100. The people who have moved include those with equal or more complex needs than those who remain. In addition, all people entering the DDS system since 1980 have been served in the community, regardless of the level of their disability.

Among people served in the community are those with extremely complex needs. Community service providers across the state have developed the capacity to care for them, many with multiple conditions that require careful monitoring and care. The assertion that the people remaining in state facilities are the “hardest” to serve is simply not borne out by the facts. We know from past closing of state facilities, for example Belchertown or Dever State School, that it was not always the individuals with the most complex or serious needs who were the last to be placed. These institutions once served a wide range of individuals, not unlike the population of other state schools.

Community-based programs are designed to fit the needs of individuals. People who require on-going nursing care for complex medical needs would continue to receive that level of care. Throughout Massachusetts, community providers have established strong relationships with our medical community. People with complex needs are seen at specialty hospitals such as UMass Medical Center or the Joslin Clinic. In addition, as the population has aged, a high level of expertise has evolved to respond to these emerging needs. Staff in community programs receive training to specifically address the needs of the people who are in their care. Where medication is administered, staff are certified, accordingly.

Will individuals moving from the institutions receive “equal or better” care?

The Commonwealth has made an enormous investment to develop a community service system that is tailored to meet the needs of individuals, one by one. Great care is given to planning, providing and monitoring services for each person in the community. "Equal or better" is the promise the Commonwealth can and should make. Community providers advocate for the most appropriate support plans for each individual. A quality transition can be achieved for all.

Shouldn’t families and individuals have the choice to remain in institutions, if that’s what they want?

We are highly supportive of choice and self-determination. Community services in general offer far more opportunity to individualize support and therefore many more opportunities. Choice has its boundaries, however and not all options are possible. Maintaining institutions on the basis of choice ties up important resources and deprives many people access to the support they need.

With the present budget cuts to DDS programs, the high costs of operating the facilities and their costly physical plants is diverting dollars that could be spent on direct care for all DDS consumers. Community providers do not support choice when the choices made in favor of facilities deprive others of needed services.

How can I overcome my fears about placing my family member in the community?

Careful planning is done with every person and their family, one person at a time. While change evokes feelings of uncertainty and sometimes fear, each family will be given many opportunities for involvement in the planning and design of their family members future. Across the state there are families and former state school residents who will gladly assist. A partnership between DDS and community providers has enabled us to develop a community system that has the capability of offering a broad spectrum of programs. Many providers will gladly offer families an opportunity for visits and others forms of assistance, in an effort to assist everyone to explore community services as they prepare to make a choice for their family member. Consumer advocacy groups across the state also offer peer assistance by providing emotional support and home visits.

What if the institution is the only “home” the individuals living there have known?

Bricks and mortar do not make a home. Friends, family, and a home filled with comfortable furniture decorated to express yourself; food you like, cooking in your kitchen and people caring for you who have the skills and time to help you accomplish your goals are the things that make up a home. There once was a man who lived at Belchertown State School who moved when he was 94 years old. When asked by his Social Worker about how the move went, he replied, “Why did you take so long?”