Dear Members and Friends of PHA:
Well, it's almost that time of year again when we elect new people to the board and re-elect some of the same people. That will all happen at the end of the meeting on Saturday, September 10, 2011. I have served for 8 years as president and one year as co-president with Steve Doherty. We get older, we get wiser, and the problems change, but they never go away. We resolve some issues but others arise – and so it goes.
Roy Whitley got to stay at SDC and we got the definition of the Richard S clarified so the case workers can no longer misuse it to move people from SDC. We got legislation introduced twice – only to see it not pass due mostly to the strong opposition by DDS.
In spite of all that we have made some progress especially in the areas of getting the message out there and having our developmentally disabled citizens treated fairly and having appropriate services available to them.
The part I find most distressing is that with all our advocacy and hard work in so many areas, we were not able to prevent the downsizing of SDC and the eventual closure, unless something changes.
There is no substitute for the experience and expertise that has been acquired over the 100+ years at SDC. Every family member needs to fight to keep these services. Every family member needs to know that they have rights and they are the person who has the final say in where their family member lives, so exercise your rights and fight for your loved ones who live at SDC and want to stay there.
If you are not a conservator, you need to be. You may call me or Pat Walter at any time if you need information or a referral to an attorney. Our contact information is in another area of the Gazette.
It has been an honor and a privilege to have served as President of PHA and advocate for the precious residents of SDC. We are all families united by our concern for our developmentally disabled children. See you all in September.
Mary O'Riordan
Co-President
Parent Hospital Association
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The next board meeting of the Parent Hospital Association is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, 2011. The next general meeting will be 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 10, 2011 in McDougall Hall on the SDC campus.
For more details on PHA scheduled meetings, visit blog.parenthospitalassociation.org/pha-meetings
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