Sonoma Developmental Center in the News: Weekly recap

The Sonoma Developmental Center sits on the last large undeveloped property in Sonoma Valley. The nearly
1,000-acre state site is home to many native plants and animals. (Conner Jay / The Press Democrat)

Changes are in store for Sonoma Developmental Center -- as well as California's other remaining centers for the developmentally disabled -- if the recommendations of the state's special task force are anything to go by. A coalition has formed around the issue for Sonoma Valley to make sure services are preserved for the disabled community and a valuable open space and natural resource is maintained for the community. Below are three articles and one petition that have been circulating the past few weeks as people continue to discuss and debate the way forward.

Agreeing on a vision for the future of Sonoma Developmental Center, by Susan Gorin (The Press Democrat, April 15, 2014)

from the article...

We are [again] at a crossroads, facing a challenge that requires communal courage as we navigate the threat of closure of the Sonoma Developmental Center. It is not enough to hope the state of California will do the right thing; instead, we must demonstrate the dedication of our community for the humane treatment of our most vulnerable population, as well as our commitment to preserving the bucolic lands that surround the center. ...read more

Treatment in transition: When a Developmental Center closes, by Lauren Gold (Sonoma Valley Sun, April 10, 2014)

from the article...

Like the Sonoma Developmental Center, The Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona was one of California’s last large institutional care centers for people with profound developmental disabilities. When it was ordered closed by the state in 2010, the population of the 302-acre campus had dwindled from a peak of nearly 3,000 in the late 1960s to 398 when the facility was shut down. Over several years, in a process that will soon take place at the SDC, all but a few of those patients have been moved off-site. This article tells the story of some of those patients. ...read more

Preserving Sonoma Valley land, by Will Shonbrun (The Press Democrat, March 23, 2014)

from the article...

The Sonoma Land Trust, perhaps the county’s most outstanding land preservation group with a long and unmatched history, is eager and dedicated to preserving Sonoma Development Center land and maintaining the vital services that have been provided there for its population.

The Land Trust has joined with a coalition of other preservation groups including the Sonoma County Open Space District, Sonoma County Regional Parks Department, Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Mountain Preservation and the Valley of the Moon Natural History Association. ...read more

MoveOn.org Petition -- Save Sonoma Developmental Center

Lobby to keep Sonoma Developmental Center open and operating so that the needs of the most severely developmentally disabled citizens are met. There is no other safety net at this time and too many developmentally disabled who have dangerous behaviors are ending up in the prisons -- and many of those who are frail with multiple disabilities are ending up in nursing homes. ...more on the PHA blog here

Sign the Petition - Keep Sonoma Developmental Center Open

from PHA member Mary O'Riordan,

The Sonoma Developmental Center needs to remain open and operating so that the needs of the most severely developmentally disabled citizens are met. There is no other safety net at this time and too many developmentally disabled who have dangerous behaviors are ending up in the prisons and those who are frail with multiple disabilities, many of them are ending up in nursing homes.

The board and care homes and the group homes are not equipped to provide this specialized care at this time and until then, the Sonoma Developmental Center needs to remain open and operating and providing the specialized care that so many families have fought for over many years for their beloved severely disabled children.

That's why I created a petition to The California State House, The California State Senate, and Governor Jerry Brown, which says:

"CHANGE THE LAW AND ALLOW ADMISSIONS TO THE SONOMA DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT FOR THEIR VERY SURVIVAL."

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name:
MoveOn.org Petition: Save Sonoma Developmental Center 

PHA Spring 2014 Updates

Mark your calendars now for the next Parent Hospital Association General Membership meeting, coming up on Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, in McDougall Hall, on the Sonoma Developmental Center campus. Spring is always beautiful in Sonoma Valley -- why not make a day of it in Sonoma?!

Also, watch your mail boxes for the next issue of The Eldridge Gazette. Snail mail copies should arrive early May -- just before the next meeting. Email copies go out a bit earlier. Paper copies go to all PHA members. If you'd like to receive an email copy, send your details to info@parenthospitalassociation.org and we'll get you on the list. You can also download a copy of The Gazette when it becomes available from the resources page of the PHA website. This next issue will contain a full report of the March Legislative Meeting -- and an important questionnaire that the PHA Board hopes every member will take the time to complete and return. So watch for the next Gazette!

Spring, by St0rmz on flickr.com

Report in on PHA Annual Legislative Meeting: SDC parents speak out

This past Saturday was the Parent Hospital Association's (PHA) annual legislative meeting. Each year area legislators, their staff, and other candidates for office are invited to attend the March general membership meeting. PHA members have a chance to bring their questions and concerns directly to their representatives and get reports on activities in Sacramento, Washington and Santa Rosa affecting Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) residents.

Turnout was good again this year, and the local press attended. Tuesday's Sonoma Index-Tribune included both a front page article on the meeting, and an editorial.

from the article...

At the Sonoma Developmental Center on Saturday, John Doyle, chief deputy director of the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), told a gathering of parents and guardians of SDC residents, “Resources must be available in the community before transition takes place. We’re aware of the concerns and we take them very seriously.”

The transition Doyle was referring to is the expected movement of an undetermined number of residents from the 123-year-old facility on the outskirts of Glen Ellen, to smaller, cheaper and ostensibly more efficient group homes in adjacent communities, most or all of which do not yet exist.

And while Doyle sought to assuage the anxieties of family members who have had sons and daughters, sisters and brothers for decades in the Arnold Drive facility, most of the 17 people who addressed a panel of legislators and legislative aids expressed little or no faith in DDS plans to provide a satisfactory and harmonious transition from SDC into the broader community.

Assembled for an annual legislative affairs meeting, the March 8 event was sponsored by the Parent Hospital Association (PHA), a group of family members, guardians and advocates for SDC residents.

Read the full article here: Sonoma Developmental Center parents speak out, by David Bolling (Sonoma Index-Tribune, March 11, 2014)

Coalition and Lawmakers Continue Push for SDC's Future

The Sonoma Developmental Center, Sonoma Valley, Calif. (Conner Jay, The Press Democrat)

The coalition of family, advocates, legislators and environmental groups that has come together over the future of Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), California's oldest and one of its few remaining centers, continues to lobby for a say in plans for the center's programs, services and resources. The Press Democrat is reporting on the group's efforts most recent efforts to stave off any hint of closure or dissolution of the nearly 1,000 acre property.

“We've made it clear that we are eager and willing to have a conversation about continuation of services, different kinds of services and the preservation of the site,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin, who has taken the lead on local efforts.

The coalition includes the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, county regional parks, the Sonoma Ecology Center and the Sonoma Land Trust. Sonoma's Parent Hospital Association also is on board.

“We want to be included from the ground floor,” Kathleen Miller, the group's president, said. Her son, Dan Smith, is a resident of the facility.

read the full article...  Lawmakers join fight for Sonoma Developmental Center, by Derek Moore, The Press Democrat (March 7, 2014)

More information about the Sonoma Coalition is available on this blog:
Sonoma Coalition to Present at Next PHA Meeting
Coalition of Organizations Urges Support for Sonoma Developmental Center