There will also be a warm meal served ($5.00) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. -- Chili (vegetarian available), cornbread and a drink -- so why not plan to come by for lunch?
Questions? Need more info? Call 707-938-6713.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Holiday Craft Fair at Sonoma Developmental Center
There will also be a warm meal served ($5.00) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. -- Chili (vegetarian available), cornbread and a drink -- so why not plan to come by for lunch?
Questions? Need more info? Call 707-938-6713.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
SDC Rumor Has It - NOT
A Message from Sonoma Developmental Center
Executive Director, Karen A. Faria...
I want staff to know the facts so we all can focus on the great work we do.
- There is no legislation to close SDC.
- There are no layoffs at SDC and none are planned.
- There is no slowdown in hiring at SDC. If we have vacant positions we will attempt to fill them.
- There are no shortages of retirements and other separations from SDC, so hiring will continue.
- There is no end to the amount of overtime being used, so we may consider consolidating a home to better implement the staffing allocation we have.
- The budget is tight, but there will be no impact to hiring.
- Yes, there is a new crisis home being planned and should open sometime next year.
If you have questions about the future of SDC, send your email questions to Jorge Fernandez at jorge.fernandez@sonoma.dds.ca.gov .
Aggressive Deinstitutionalization - Causing More Harm Than Good
"Aggressive deinstitutionalization has caused more harm than good -- people with mental illness now make up a good part of the population in this nation's prisons and jails and on the streets. There is a lot at stake for past and present proponents of community integration -- not least, the risk of losing future funding. But, as the author points out, where is our concern for the individual in this debate? While wholesale institutionalization was never the right answer, nor is the current lack of access to necessary supports."At the most recent general membership meeting of the Parent Hospital Association, attendees were fortunate to hear a presentation from a very knowledgeable and passionate advocate for disability rights, Tamie Hopp. Hopp is the Director of Government Relations and Advocacy for VOR and spoke about the history and future of deinstitutionalization of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Watch for your copy of the next Gazette for a transcript of Hopp's remarks at the meeting. They will be included in the minutes. In the meantime, for more information about the trends surrounding institutional-based supports and access -- and the impacts on those needing services both in institutional settings and in the community -- there is the following article available, also by Tamie Hopp.
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| Tamie Hopp (VOR.net) |
See also:
North Bay Regional Center Moving Ahead with Community Placement of SDC Resident, on the PHA blog (Oct. 7, 2014)
Saturday, November 8, 2014
In the Press: Fears for future of Sonoma Developmental Center
The following post also appears on today's online edition of The Sonoma Index-Tribune. (It was printed in the paper's Nov. 7, 2014 edition.) It was written by PHA member, and former board member, Paul Ferrario. You can find it on the SIT website at Valley Forum: Fears for future of Sonoma Developmental Center.
by Paul Ferrario
Generations of Sonoma Valley residents have been dedicated employees who have performed excellent work at Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) yet because of one bad-apple employee, and the indifference of legislators, SDC’s future seems bleak. With every SDC resident that gets spirited out of the facility, Arnold Drive inches closer to becoming a 4-lane highway. The land may not be sold to developers right away, but legislators at all levels are likely seduced by the promise of a billons in a one-time infusion to the state, and promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in property taxes.
Our system of checks and balances has collapsed. Since the infamous “Taser” incident, a task force, heavily stacked with anti SDC members has put forth not a plan, but a depiction of a plan that SDC would serve five behaviorally challenged individuals, while the collection of irreplaceable services and expertise is lost forever. As the election nears almost everyone agrees that special interests control Sacramento, but few realize how “various administrative agencies get involved with the legislative process this co-mingling of duties (has been a concern), but with the drafting of bills, it (is) a blatant disregard of our constitutional rights.” (Excerpted from Emily Rooney, President of the Agricultural Council of California, in her article: State Legislature Shirks U.S. Constitution in Development of Groundwater Bills (Blue Diamond Growers -Almond Facts; page 30; September/October 2014).
The state’s own Dept. of Developmental Services (DDS) has recently used the Trailer Bill mechanism to escalate aggressive de-population of SDC despite the verified human cost of doing so. Currently, SDC residents appropriately residing at the center for decades are being removed and placed in the self-regulated care home system, run by non-profit agencies that contract with the state. The Trailer Bill mechanism enabled the legislation to pass without public knowledge or hearings.
The human cost was verified almost 20 years ago by UC Riverside comparative mortality research that passed scientific peer-review and was published. Far higher mortality, due to abuse and neglect, was revealed in the care home industry compared to the state centers. The press devoted over 18 months of coverage to the issue. Shockingly, later it was later revealed that during that period the DDS had suppressed its own mortality study of 20 deaths within care homes, 16 of which were deemed to be caused by abuse or neglect.
There was an opportunity for reform. Yet when then State Senator Mike Thompson held a hearing the UC researcher was given short shrift. The Senator was skeptical about the research findings from the start, voicing his opinion in the lead newspaper’s editorials. His position matched the anti-developmental center ideology openly promoted by his legislative consultant.
Thus, then and now, citizens of our state -parents and families whose disabled loved ones live at SDC and other centers rank fourth behind the interests of the non-profit industry, a state agency and a legislative consultant. Yet now when Congressman Thompson desires to remain in office he courts the votes of these parents and families. It would be refreshing for him to hold the DDS accountable for its “co-mingling of duties.” Valley residents should raise a cry about the “Trailer Bill” trick and the legislative indifference to the mortality rate.
Generations of Sonoma Valley residents have been dedicated employees who have performed excellent work at Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) yet because of one bad-apple employee, and the indifference of legislators, SDC’s future seems bleak. With every SDC resident that gets spirited out of the facility, Arnold Drive inches closer to becoming a 4-lane highway. The land may not be sold to developers right away, but legislators at all levels are likely seduced by the promise of a billons in a one-time infusion to the state, and promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in property taxes.
Our system of checks and balances has collapsed. Since the infamous “Taser” incident, a task force, heavily stacked with anti SDC members has put forth not a plan, but a depiction of a plan that SDC would serve five behaviorally challenged individuals, while the collection of irreplaceable services and expertise is lost forever. As the election nears almost everyone agrees that special interests control Sacramento, but few realize how “various administrative agencies get involved with the legislative process this co-mingling of duties (has been a concern), but with the drafting of bills, it (is) a blatant disregard of our constitutional rights.” (Excerpted from Emily Rooney, President of the Agricultural Council of California, in her article: State Legislature Shirks U.S. Constitution in Development of Groundwater Bills (Blue Diamond Growers -Almond Facts; page 30; September/October 2014).
The state’s own Dept. of Developmental Services (DDS) has recently used the Trailer Bill mechanism to escalate aggressive de-population of SDC despite the verified human cost of doing so. Currently, SDC residents appropriately residing at the center for decades are being removed and placed in the self-regulated care home system, run by non-profit agencies that contract with the state. The Trailer Bill mechanism enabled the legislation to pass without public knowledge or hearings.
The human cost was verified almost 20 years ago by UC Riverside comparative mortality research that passed scientific peer-review and was published. Far higher mortality, due to abuse and neglect, was revealed in the care home industry compared to the state centers. The press devoted over 18 months of coverage to the issue. Shockingly, later it was later revealed that during that period the DDS had suppressed its own mortality study of 20 deaths within care homes, 16 of which were deemed to be caused by abuse or neglect.
There was an opportunity for reform. Yet when then State Senator Mike Thompson held a hearing the UC researcher was given short shrift. The Senator was skeptical about the research findings from the start, voicing his opinion in the lead newspaper’s editorials. His position matched the anti-developmental center ideology openly promoted by his legislative consultant.
Thus, then and now, citizens of our state -parents and families whose disabled loved ones live at SDC and other centers rank fourth behind the interests of the non-profit industry, a state agency and a legislative consultant. Yet now when Congressman Thompson desires to remain in office he courts the votes of these parents and families. It would be refreshing for him to hold the DDS accountable for its “co-mingling of duties.” Valley residents should raise a cry about the “Trailer Bill” trick and the legislative indifference to the mortality rate.
In the Press: Time to end war over the Sonoma Developmental Center
The following post by PHA President Kathleen Miller was originally published in today's Press Democrat. You can find it on that paper's website at Close to Home: Time to end war over the Sonoma Developmental Center.
by Kathleen Miller
Last week, I participated in the long-standing tradition of Halloween at Sonoma Developmental Center and the grand Halloween parade.
It is a fun day of events, and it gives me the opportunity to see old friends who still work at the center. The residents love it and also enjoy the afternoon carnival of fun and activities as well.
Following the parade, I took my son out to lunch. While at one of the local restaurants, I ran into a former SDC employee who now works for a community day program provider. Her clients were eating there also, and we enjoyed a brief minute to chat. I reminded her that it was parade day at Sonoma Developmental Center. She had always been an enthusiastic participant during her years working at the center, and we both agreed what fun it would be if her community clients could join with SDC residents and participate in the parade.
She shook her head and shared that it was frowned upon for those in her program to in any way participate at SDC events. I didn’t have to ask why. It is an old battle that continues today.
As long as I have been aware of developmental centers and community services outside of the centers, I have also been aware of the friction between them. Care providers tell their clients horror stories about what life is like inside developmental centers. They bring them to legislative hearings to urge for closure even if these same clients have never set foot inside of a developmental center.
I personally have been called names and subjected to unflattering comments for my support of developmental centers. However, also true is the fact that those of us who rely on the services inside the developmental centers are quick to seize upon, and repeat, negative stories of the abuse and poor care that happens in community settings. It is an acrimonious relationship that has lasted for decades. Sadly this acrimony continues today.
The Parent Hospital Association, an organization that represents the residents, families and friends of Sonoma Developmental Center, tried to push legislation that would have allowed residents living in alternative community settings to come to the health and dental clinics at the center. This was important because many of those services, services that SDC residents take for granted, are not always available to those living in community care. The legislation went nowhere. Some providers of community care saw it as either a threat to them or as an attempt to shore up Sonoma Developmental Center.
Both sides have some basis for their concerns. Individuals with developmental disabilities are too often subjected to abuse and neglect. Bad things have happened in developmental centers. Bad things have happened in community care. However, most folks who go into working with these challenging populations do so for the right reasons and try to provide those they work with good care. More important, this battle between developmental centers staff, families and friends and community providers serves no one. The clients are the losers. The system remains entrenched in old battles instead of both sides working together to provide a seamless system of care that meets the needs of all regional center clients.
Currently, there is a process underway to “transform” the Sonoma Developmental Center and the remaining developmental centers. To be clear, I do not welcome the change. Most families of center residents simply want to be left alone, but since that does not appear likely, I have turned my attention to community care and the gaps in that system.
Today, we need to work with all parties to create a seamless system that serves all of the developmentally disabled populations, including those that regional centers struggle with. We need to find ways to use the Sonoma Developmental Center infrastructure to create something special, a system that can fill the gaps in care that exist in today’s system. We need a system that cannot only help the center’s residents but those in community setting where services are not working.
The old voices are back. They want closure. They want nothing to do with those of us with ties to developmental centers. However, more and more I am hearing new voices. They are asking why not and what the new services at the Sonoma Developmental Center can include.
These new voices either know nothing about the old battle lines or want to rise above them. It is my hope that together we will be those who decide the future of Sonoma Developmental Center and of the system of care going into the future.
 |
| Kathleen Miller and her son Dan, who is a resident at Sonoma Developmental Center, take a walk on the SDC campus. (photo credit: Press Democrat) |
by Kathleen Miller
Last week, I participated in the long-standing tradition of Halloween at Sonoma Developmental Center and the grand Halloween parade.
It is a fun day of events, and it gives me the opportunity to see old friends who still work at the center. The residents love it and also enjoy the afternoon carnival of fun and activities as well.
Following the parade, I took my son out to lunch. While at one of the local restaurants, I ran into a former SDC employee who now works for a community day program provider. Her clients were eating there also, and we enjoyed a brief minute to chat. I reminded her that it was parade day at Sonoma Developmental Center. She had always been an enthusiastic participant during her years working at the center, and we both agreed what fun it would be if her community clients could join with SDC residents and participate in the parade.
She shook her head and shared that it was frowned upon for those in her program to in any way participate at SDC events. I didn’t have to ask why. It is an old battle that continues today.
As long as I have been aware of developmental centers and community services outside of the centers, I have also been aware of the friction between them. Care providers tell their clients horror stories about what life is like inside developmental centers. They bring them to legislative hearings to urge for closure even if these same clients have never set foot inside of a developmental center.
I personally have been called names and subjected to unflattering comments for my support of developmental centers. However, also true is the fact that those of us who rely on the services inside the developmental centers are quick to seize upon, and repeat, negative stories of the abuse and poor care that happens in community settings. It is an acrimonious relationship that has lasted for decades. Sadly this acrimony continues today.
The Parent Hospital Association, an organization that represents the residents, families and friends of Sonoma Developmental Center, tried to push legislation that would have allowed residents living in alternative community settings to come to the health and dental clinics at the center. This was important because many of those services, services that SDC residents take for granted, are not always available to those living in community care. The legislation went nowhere. Some providers of community care saw it as either a threat to them or as an attempt to shore up Sonoma Developmental Center.
Both sides have some basis for their concerns. Individuals with developmental disabilities are too often subjected to abuse and neglect. Bad things have happened in developmental centers. Bad things have happened in community care. However, most folks who go into working with these challenging populations do so for the right reasons and try to provide those they work with good care. More important, this battle between developmental centers staff, families and friends and community providers serves no one. The clients are the losers. The system remains entrenched in old battles instead of both sides working together to provide a seamless system of care that meets the needs of all regional center clients.
Currently, there is a process underway to “transform” the Sonoma Developmental Center and the remaining developmental centers. To be clear, I do not welcome the change. Most families of center residents simply want to be left alone, but since that does not appear likely, I have turned my attention to community care and the gaps in that system.
Today, we need to work with all parties to create a seamless system that serves all of the developmentally disabled populations, including those that regional centers struggle with. We need to find ways to use the Sonoma Developmental Center infrastructure to create something special, a system that can fill the gaps in care that exist in today’s system. We need a system that cannot only help the center’s residents but those in community setting where services are not working.
The old voices are back. They want closure. They want nothing to do with those of us with ties to developmental centers. However, more and more I am hearing new voices. They are asking why not and what the new services at the Sonoma Developmental Center can include.
These new voices either know nothing about the old battle lines or want to rise above them. It is my hope that together we will be those who decide the future of Sonoma Developmental Center and of the system of care going into the future.
Friday, November 7, 2014
National Disability Advocate to Speak on History and Future of Deinstitutionalization
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| Tamie Hopp from VOR |
Hopp is the Director of Government Relations and Advocacy for VOR, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for high quality care and human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has been involved in disability advocacy for 19 years.
SDC is a state-operated home for 430 of some of California’s most profound disabled citizens. According to the state’s website, approximately one thousand acres of land, lakes, and various structures encompass the Sonoma Developmental Center campus, including a residential campground, store/cafeteria, post office, petting farm, sports fields, swimming pool, plant nursery, and picnic areas.
Homes like Sonoma are threatened across the country, says Hopp.
“Deinstitutionalization – the closure of specialized homes like Sonoma - has been pursued in earnest for decades,” said Hopp. “While early efforts were well-placed, helping thousands of inappropriately placed individuals secure more appropriate housing and services, the pendulum has continued to swing, placing very fragile people at grave risk.”
Hopp will provide an overview of the history of deinstitutionalization, its status currently, and what role family advocates can play in the future of their loved ones’ care.
“There is no silver bullet to stop closings,” said Hopp. “I would be doing families a disservice if I promised success. However, what I can tell them is that states cannot, legally or morally, stop providing necessary services to eligible citizens. Federal law clearly recognizes the right to individual and family choice according to need.”
Proponents of closure argue that people with developmental disabilities are always served better in small settings. VOR’s members see things differently.
“Tragedies following forced deinstitutionalization are widespread and well-documented,” said Hopp. “Without question, deinstitutionalization has failed many people.”
“For 31 years, VOR has advocated that families are the most effective voice for their disabled loved ones,” Hopp said. “They know best. It is critical that families be on the frontlines educating legislators and state officials about the unparalleled, comprehensive and highly specialized care their loved ones receive.”
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About VOR: VOR is a national organization that advocates for high quality care and human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Standing up for long-term care facilities and community disability programs, VOR is dedicated to maintaining individual family choice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For more information about VOR, including information about our programs and a press kit, please visit http://vor.net/about-vor.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
PHA News: General Meeting This Saturday, Nov. 8 - and New Gazette Available
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| Fall Leaves by VancityAllie on flickr (Creative Commons license) |
Also, as most of you are aware there is another Task Force called by Secretary Dooley. The focus of this Task Force is on community services. Information will be shared about how the work of the latest Task Force impacts Sonoma Developmental Center -- there is much work to be done in order to protect SDC residents.
Please plan to join us on Saturday!
And...if you have not yet seen a copy, the latest issue of The Eldridge Gazette is available for download (pdf file).
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