In this review of articles published since the start of 2017, we've collected stories that expose the need for further state action towards the goals outlined in the settlement agreement.
AJC; April 10, 2017:
Oversight
lags as for-profit firms take on caring for the vulnerable
In this article,
Alan Judd of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines the
quality of care provided by the state-contracted care provider,
ResCare. As the state transitions to full compliance with the
settlement agreement, inpatients with developmental disabilities are
transitioning to in-home care and group-home facilities, many managed
by ResCare. But, as Judd reports, care provided by ResCare, a
national for-profit company that is “the state’s largest provider
of services for people with disabilities”, bears responsibility for
various cases of abuse and severe neglect, some of which have
resulted in deaths.
The Augusta Chronicle; April 30, 2017: State improving but concerns remain about care for patients moving out of Gracewood
The Augusta Chronicle; April 30, 2017: State improving but concerns remain about care for patients moving out of Gracewood
In this article from
The Augusta Chronicle, Tom Corwin reports on progress toward
the community placement of developmentally disabled inpatients
currently housed in the East Central Regional State Hospital. In
order to satisfy the demands of the settlement agreement, over 200
patients living in East Central Regional Hospital must be placed in
community care programs. Corwin reports, however, that the state has
made slow progress towards this goal, and even at the current rate of
progress, the state, in some cases, has failed to provide sufficient
care for certain patients placed in the community.
Georgia Health News; May 2, 2017: Years after hospital closed, some former patients struggle for safe housing
Georgia Health News; May 2, 2017: Years after hospital closed, some former patients struggle for safe housing
In this article from
Georgia Health News, Saleen Martin examines the struggle to
find housing for patients transitioning into community based care in
Rome, GA. In accordance with the settlement agreement, the Northwest
Regional Hospital in Rome was closed in January 2011, and since the
settlement was assumed in 2010, patients transitioning out of the
hospital have sought safe and affordable housing. Martin, however,
details obstacles many of these patients have faced, such as the
limited availability of housing subsidies, overcrowding of group-home
facilities and the hazards of living at certain properties.
AJC; May 11, 2017:
Deaths,
delays paint grim picture of Georgia Mental health reform
In this article from
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Alan Judd reports on issues
facing an effective transition to full compliance with the settlement
agreement. Among the issues Judd covers is the state’s failure to
provide sufficient resources for patients transitioning to community
based care. Judd reports on the limited availability of
well-supported housing for patients with psychiatric disabilities,
and he describes poor quality of care provided in group homes for
patients with developmental disabilities (for more on group homes see
AJC; April 10). Judd also mentions that advocates worry the
Department of Justice, under new leadership, “may show little
interest in enforcing Obama-era settlements such as the one with
Georgia.”
The Philadelphia
Tribune (reprint); May 12, 2017:
Georgia
still sending mentally ill people to homeless shelters
