Re: excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

[Guest guest]

Here is my personal favorite line in this piece, from director of public policy

of AFSCME:

" a union workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality

of care. "

Not sure whether to laugh or cry...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget,

take a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers

those are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in

an Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of

community care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63

percent, according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional

options when what families want are community living arrangement options,â€

said Tony auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy

group for the disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled

are served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended

that Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional

facilities to finance more community services and family support for the

developmentally disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

Here is my personal favorite line in this piece, from director of public policy

of AFSCME:

" a union workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality

of care. "

Not sure whether to laugh or cry...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget,

take a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers

those are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in

an Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of

community care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63

percent, according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional

options when what families want are community living arrangement options,â€

said Tony auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy

group for the disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled

are served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended

that Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional

facilities to finance more community services and family support for the

developmentally disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

Not to be dumb here, but aren't many, most, or all of our community-based

service providers unionized already?  What am I missing? 

L.

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget, take

a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers those

are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in an

Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of community

care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63 percent,

according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional options

when what families want are community living arrangement options,†said Tony

auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy group for the

disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled are

served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended that

Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional facilities

to finance more community services and family support for the developmentally

disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

Not to be dumb here, but aren't many, most, or all of our community-based

service providers unionized already?  What am I missing? 

L.

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget, take

a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers those

are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in an

Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of community

care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63 percent,

according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional options

when what families want are community living arrangement options,†said Tony

auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy group for the

disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled are

served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended that

Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional facilities

to finance more community services and family support for the developmentally

disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

Actually, Laurie, you are quite right. Many of the agencies, especially the

large ones, have unionized direct support staff. Not all community agencies are

unionized, though. My comment was specific to the quality of care. If unions

can only manage to get community direct support staff $9.50/hour, we will

continue to have a few excellent staff because they are committed to the

individuals they serve and a lot of mediocre to awful staff, because, let's face

it, who is going to work for that amount of money?

My point is...a living wage and benefits, a good screening and interview process

great initial training with ongoing training and a work environment that is

pleasant and respectful of the needs and rights of all, is what makes for great

quality supports to individuals with disabilities. This can happen just as

easily without a union.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget,

take a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers

those are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in

an Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of

community care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63

percent, according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional

options when what families want are community living arrangement options,â€

said Tony auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy

group for the disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled

are served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended

that Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional

facilities to finance more community services and family support for the

developmentally disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

Actually, Laurie, you are quite right. Many of the agencies, especially the

large ones, have unionized direct support staff. Not all community agencies are

unionized, though. My comment was specific to the quality of care. If unions

can only manage to get community direct support staff $9.50/hour, we will

continue to have a few excellent staff because they are committed to the

individuals they serve and a lot of mediocre to awful staff, because, let's face

it, who is going to work for that amount of money?

My point is...a living wage and benefits, a good screening and interview process

great initial training with ongoing training and a work environment that is

pleasant and respectful of the needs and rights of all, is what makes for great

quality supports to individuals with disabilities. This can happen just as

easily without a union.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget,

take a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers

those are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in

an Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of

community care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63

percent, according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional

options when what families want are community living arrangement options,â€

said Tony auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy

group for the disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled

are served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalization in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended

that Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional

facilities to finance more community services and family support for the

developmentally disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

And here's my favorite quote from years back from someone involved in closing

institutions in Michigan --

" The state DHS budget should not be used to guarantee full employment for

AFSCME. "

I agree that Quinn's deal with the union about not closing any more institutions

til mid 2010 was horrible. But at least this governor is willing to do the

unpopular - raising income taxes - which must not just be tied to education. I

was at the DHS briefing on Wed. by Secy. Sadler and the department heads about

the cuts. I agree with Tony aski's email that Secy Sadler is good. And

Wednesday she described Quinn as a governor for human services.

Bonnie Dohogne

________________________________

From: ELLEN BRONFELD <egskb@...>

IPADDUnite

Sent: Wed, March 10, 2010 7:34:24 PM

Subject: Re: excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

Here is my personal favorite line in this piece, from director of public policy

of AFSCME:

" a union workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality

of care. "

Not sure whether to laugh or cry...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskbsbcglobal (DOT) net

excellent article from Northwestern' s Medill

http://news. medill.northwest ern.edu/chicago/ news.aspx? id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget, take

a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers those

are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in an

Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of community

care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63 percent,

according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional options

when what families want are community living arrangement options,†said Tony

auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy group for the

disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled are

served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalizat ion of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalizatio n in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended that

Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional facilities

to finance more community services and family support for the developmentally

disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam

[Guest guest]

And here's my favorite quote from years back from someone involved in closing

institutions in Michigan --

" The state DHS budget should not be used to guarantee full employment for

AFSCME. "

I agree that Quinn's deal with the union about not closing any more institutions

til mid 2010 was horrible. But at least this governor is willing to do the

unpopular - raising income taxes - which must not just be tied to education. I

was at the DHS briefing on Wed. by Secy. Sadler and the department heads about

the cuts. I agree with Tony aski's email that Secy Sadler is good. And

Wednesday she described Quinn as a governor for human services.

Bonnie Dohogne

________________________________

From: ELLEN BRONFELD <egskb@...>

IPADDUnite

Sent: Wed, March 10, 2010 7:34:24 PM

Subject: Re: excellent article from Northwestern's Medill

Here is my personal favorite line in this piece, from director of public policy

of AFSCME:

" a union workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality

of care. "

Not sure whether to laugh or cry...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskbsbcglobal (DOT) net

excellent article from Northwestern' s Medill

http://news. medill.northwest ern.edu/chicago/ news.aspx? id=161061

Illinois could save millions by reforming developmentally disabled services

BY EMMA JACKSON

MARCH 10, 2010

Note to Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn: If you want to trim that bloated state budget, take

a page from Indiana’s book. The state has saved hundreds of millions of

dollars by shutting down its state-operated institutions for the developmentally

disabled and financing more community care services.

But, advocates and policy analysts say, politics may be driving policy in

Illinois more than fiscal considerations, or even what’s generally agreed upon

as best practice for the developmentally disabled.

A week before the February primary, Gov. Quinn struck a deal with the American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in which he agreed not to

close any more state facilities for the developmentally disabled for a year.

Illinois has closed one of its ten state facilities and is in the process of

closing the Howe Developmental Center, after a Justice Department's

recommendation that Howe violated the constitutional rights of its residents.

Gov. Quinn's move, which helped protect union jobs while delaying the push to

close state institutions and move the disabled to less costly alternative

community care settings, has its critics.

" The State of Illinois needs to follow what's in the best financial as well as

quality-of-life interest of its citizens and not hold those jobs and those

institutions above the needs of its citizens, " said ce Msall, president of

the Civic Federation.

“It’s very much like prisons. In state-operated developmental centers those

are really good jobs that people want to keep and that’s the politics of

it,†said Powers, professor of economics at the Institute of

Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

“If you contrast the pay and benefits of people that would be leaving a

state-operated development center to the private sector, there is no

comparison,†she added.

It costs $142,533 annually to house a developmentally disabled individual in an

Illinois state developmental center. By comparison, the annual cost of community

care is about $53,291, for a savings of nearly $100,000, or 63 percent,

according to a report by the governor’s Taxpayer Action Board.

Roughly $547 million was spent on private and public institutional care in

Illinois in 2006. The state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of

disabled in state institutions, with 2,385 individuals in 2008.

“Illinois wastes hundreds of million dollars by funding institutional options

when what families want are community living arrangement options,†said Tony

auski, president of the Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy group for the

disabled.

When states concentrate resources on institutional spending, fewer disabled are

served due to the high cost, added Hemp, a research assistant at the

Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.

The trend toward deinstitutionalizat ion of the developmentally disabled has

steadily accelerated, following passage of home- and community-based service

waivers under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

But Illinois is an outlier in that trend. It ranked sixth nationally in public

and private institutionalizatio n in 2006, with 63 per 100,000 developmentally

disabled individuals living in institutions. It ranked last in the proportion of

persons served in residential settings that support one-to-six people.

Kay Rizzolo, associate director at the Institute on Disability and Human

Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said Indiana provides a

great model for what Illinois could do to provide better support for the

disabled.

“Indiana made drastic improvements in the past eight years in investing in

supported living options in the community versus the institutional model of

care,†she said. “Illinois can certainly learn some lessons from them.â€

Indiana joined nine other states and the District of Columbia in no longer

financing state-operated institutions. States can use the estimated 60 percent

in cost savings to spend in other areas or to provide more disabled services.

A joint report by Braddock, Ph.D. and Hemp, M.A. recommended that

Indiana use the considerable savings from closing its institutional facilities

to finance more community services and family support for the developmentally

disabled.

Community services spending in Indiana, adjusted for inflation, grew by 85

percent between 1999 and 2008, while institutional spending declined by 81

percent. In 2006, Indiana committed 88 percent of its total developmentally

disabled resources to community services, compared with 64 percent in Illinois.

Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services

Administration, said moving completely to a home- and community-based waiver

system for the developmentally disabled has been a win-win for both the state

and the disabled.

“Being able to go into the community increases their quality of life, they

tend to take advantage of work support services in the community care

settings,†he said. “It has also led to significant cost savings for the

state.â€

But union officials say estimates of huge cost savings are overblown. Anne

Irving, director of public policy at AFCSME, said moving the developmentally

disabled from institutions to community care doesn’t save that much money,

because many need a high level of medical care or a high level of behavioral

care, regardless of the setting.

“There isn’t going to be a huge pool of money if you close down the state

developmental centers,†Irving said. “What you’re going to have are people

who need a serious level of care in the community.†She added that a union

workforce in community settings is essential for improving the quality of care.

Rizzolo counters that the community care setting is cost-effective since each

individual gets a package of services based on his or her needs.

“Individualization of the services is what makes it more cost effective since

they typically only receive the support that’s necessary,†she said.

Barbara Pritchard, president of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, said

Gov. Quinn’s one-year moratorium on state institutional closings is depriving

the disabled of the opportunity for more independent living and more

opportunities to go outside, over institutional settings that tend to confine

the disabled.

“Maybe having individuals in his ears that are voters might have more of an

impact than individuals with disabilities that can’t speak,†she said. Pam