The following is a press statement from DBHDD
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Georgia
Department
of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
Frank E. Shelp,
M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner
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Office
of Communications
Two Peachtree Street NW, Suite 22.224, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3142 ~
404-657-2254
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CSH Developmental Disabilities Program
Georgia’s success helping people with developmental
disabilities find homes and services in communities across the state means more
individuals are living as independently as possible and fewer are relying on
institutional care. As a result, on June 30, 2012, the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) will discontinue the
developmental disabilities program at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville.
Six months ago there were approximately 120 people with developmental
disabilities being served by that program; by the end of May, there were 16. By
June 30, all of them will have chosen new homes and service providers
appropriate to their needs in communities. With the participation of their
families and the support of Medicaid waivers from the State, each of them will
have moved into their own or their family’s homes, host homes, or group homes,
while still receiving the therapeutic and living supports they require.
Approximately 280 DBHDD employees
associated with the developmental disabilities unit and support services will
be affected by the closure of the program. Each will have 30 days notice before
their employment is ended and the department will be offering job fairs, resume
workshops, and other services to help them find new employment, including any
jobs that are available at CSH and other state hospitals. The Georgia
Department of Labor will also be onsite throughout the month of June providing
employees with information about available resources and re-employment
services, a strategy DBHDD and DOL have used successfully in the past to help
staff find new jobs.
In 2011, Georgia passed legislation to end admissions to
state hospitals for anyone whose primary diagnosis is a developmental
disability. Since that time, individuals have been provided with housing,
community services, and family supports to prevent hospitalization. By ending
admissions and continuing to help people with developmental disabilities move
into community settings, the state will make it possible for everyone who can
be served in community settings to move out of institutional care by July 1, 2015.
This transition is in keeping with the State’s 2010 settlement agreement with
the U.S. Department of Justice – and the aspirations of people with
developmental disabilities, their families, and advocates.
Although the role of Central State Hospital in Georgia’s
behavioral health and developmental disabilities system has and is changing,
Milledgeville’s role in human services for the State of Georgia continues. New
facilities, including the 280-bed Bostick Skilled Nursing facility, are
opening, and legislation passed by the General Assembly this year will
establish a redevelopment authority for the Milledgeville area, including the
substantial land and building resources associated with Central State.
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