Sunday, April 25, 2010

Families and Staff Rally to Save Lanterman Developmental Center

On Monday, April 26, families and staff plan a rally to stop the planned closure of Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona, Calif. The rally is organized to precede the April 29 state Senate hearing to consider the proposed Lanterman Developmental Center closure plan.
Date:    April 26, 2010
Time:   10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Place:  Lanterman Developmental Center
3530 Pomona Blvd., Pomona, Calif. (front entrance on Diamond Bar Blvd.)
At least 100 people are expected to participate. The event is sponsored by the Save Lanterman coalition.

For more than 80 years, Lanterman Developmental Center has cared for thousands of Californians with developmental disabilities who depend on the facility’s unique combination of medical, therapeutic and rehabilitative round-the-clock services. The facility is now slated for  closure, primarily due to state budget cuts.

Save Lanterman coalition members say equal or better – or more cost-effective – services for these vulnerable individuals simply are not available in other settings, such as group homes.

In an announcement for the rally, Robert Hazard, whose sister lives at Lanterman, said, “The transfer of Lanterman residents to community settings would jeopardize their lives and those of others who rely on a community system that is not sufficient to care for everyone with complex medical and behavioral needs at the professional level required. There is no assurance that the residents will receive the services they need if they are moved to the community.”

“We believe a facility closure at the very least would be a highly disruptive experience causing clients great emotional and physical stress, and at the very worst would lead to dangerously inadequate care in inferior, little-regulated group homes,” said Tony Myers, a Lanterman Senior Psychiatric Technician, in the same announcement.

State senators will consider the formal closure plan at the April 29 hearing in Sacramento, choosing whether to adopt DDS’ proposal plan, to amend it or to oppose it. The Save Lanterman coalition asks members of the public to help them convince legislators to oppose the closure.

For more information, including legislators' contact details, visit saveldc.org. You can also add your name to a petition showing your support for Lanterman and its hundreds of residents.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Care Options Important for Developmentally Disabled

Concern over current plans to close some of the few remaining developmental centers in California stems in large part from the differences in care and services between the State-run centers and regional centers, where residents are transferred as State services are consolidated, downsized and eliminated.

Edward Lempinen wrote a series of articles for the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 1990s that brought attention to the downside of being moved to regional centers for many developmentally disabled people. (see: SF Chronicle coverage of developmental center news and issues from 1997-1998) Unfortunately, the issues spotlighted by Lempinen in his award-winning articles persist today.

Ana Mettler put a human face on all of these concerns and various reports when she related the story of her son Carsten on the VOR website. Carsten's journey to Sonoma Developmental Center illustrates the need for care beyond what a family can provide, the limits of care available from regional centers - at least for Carsten, and the benefits available to Carsten at Sonoma Developmental Center.

We're not sure when this story first appeared on the VOR website, but we thank Ana Mettler for telling it. And we're glad Carsten found a home at Sonoma Developmental Center. We are also determined that Carsten and others with developmental disabilities will always have the option of care from developmental centers in California.
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