• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Recommendations Made for MRDD: Board Should Close More State-Run Centers, Limit Residency Based on `Eligibility Criteria,' Report Says

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Mary Kay Quinn, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Feb. 1--Focusing on mentally retarded people with severe behavioral problems might be the best role for Ohio's state-run centers to have in the future, an independent report suggests.

Other "special populations" among the mentally retarded, such as medically fragile people or sex offenders, could also provide a reason for the centers' continued existence, the report says.

Released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the report was commissioned after Gov. Bob Taft announced in 2003 that Apple Creek Developmental Center in Wayne County and another center near Dayton would close.

Apple Creek is to close this month, while Springview Developmental Center closed in July. Ten centers will remain.

Incident Management Systems of Collegeville, Pa., which authored the report, does not suggest how many centers the state should have. It does conclude Ohio should plan to operate fewer facilities.

"This is a report we can actively begin using as a blueprint for system change," Kenneth Ritchey, state MRDD director, said. "While we may not agree with all of its recommendations, the report provides our state with a unique opportunity to realign our centers to meet evolving needs."

To determine how many centers are needed, the state must study demand among special populations and waiting lists, the report says.

As of last month, 1,600 disabled people lived in the state's developmental centers (including Apple Creek), down from a high of 10,000 in 1965, the report says.

At its peak in 1974, Apple Creek was home to 2,100 people. Residents who have left since the 2003 announcement are almost equally split between the remaining state-run centers and private facilities.

Nine former residents have moved to Summit County, said Kevin McGee, spokesman for the Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Gary Tonks, executive director of the Arc of Ohio, an advocacy group for the disabled, says the report in effect establishes "eligibility criteria" by suggesting residency be limited to people with certain problems.

Traditionally, the centers were open to any mentally retarded person or anyone sent there by a probate court, he said.

The report also suggests that the state use remaining developmental centers as resource centers for nearby county boards.

Thomas Seesan, superintendent of the Stark County Board of MRDD, said he likes that idea.

A growing number of disabled people have criminal records or behavioral problems, and the counties need assistance to deal with them, he said.

Another key recommendation is that the centers, since many are small, share administrators. Northeast Ohio's remaining centers will be Warrensville in Cuyahoga County and Youngstown.

The report notes that nine states have no state-operated institutions for the mentally retarded/developmentally disabled. Most decisions to close or reduce centers seem based on political or public policy considerations, the report says.

The consulting firm, which was paid $116,500 for its report, based its conclusions on visits to the 10 centers and on surveys of 1,300 "stakeholders," including employees, parents, advocacy groups, county boards and elected officials.

Mary Kay Quinn can be reached at 330-996-3778 or mkquinn@thebeaconjournal.com.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

More News in this Category