JACKSONVILLE, IL -Earnest Jones’ 48-year-old son, Carl, has lived at the for eight years.
Carl Jones, who has severe brain damage, is happy at JDC, and it’s hard for him to adjust to new surroundings, the elder Jones told a hearing held in Jacksonville Monday night to discuss JDC’s proposed closure.
"If you close JDC, where would he go?" Jones asked about his son.
Earnest Jones was among roughly 100 people -- elected officials, Jacksonville residents, union leaders, advocates for people with disabilities and tenants of JDC -- who spoke during the three-hour-plus hearing.
About 1,000 people, most of whom opposed the closure, attended the hearing, which was conducted by the legislative Commission on Governmental Forecasting and Accountability.
Under state law, COGFA must hold a public hearing in any community where a state facility that employs 25 or more people faces closure. The panel will make a recommendation to Quinn in 15 days.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he needs to close JDC and six other state institutions because lawmakers didn't allocate enough money in the budget. A total of 2,000 state workers would be laid off under Quinn's plan.
About 190 disabled people receive care at JDC, and about 400 people work there.
Quinn was absent from the hearing. His plan is also being challenged in court.
Quinn's budget director, David Vaught, said at the hearing closing JDC would save the state $10 million.
However, state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, said the savings would be closer to $2.6 million after the cost of moving patients is factored in.
"People don't trust your numbers, " McCann told state officials.
The Illinois Department of Human Services' budget was slashed by $68 million under the plan approved by lawmakers, Vaught said.
"We can't spend money we don't have," he said.
Department of Human Services Secretary Michelle Saddler said the closure is also part of a long-term goal to move people out of institutional care to more home-like settings.
Kevin Casey, director of DHS’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, said another reason JDC was identified for closure is because the building needs repairs, including roads and boilers. JDC is the oldest facility of its kind in the state, officials said.
The institution got its start as the Illinois State Asylum and Hospital for the Insane in the 1840s. It has provided treatment for the developmentally disabled since 1974.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard said closing the facility would take $47 million out of Morgan County. Jacksonville is "the place to care for people with disabilities,” he said.
(photo: Supporting the closure of Illinois Institution's. thanks to Tony Paulauski for photo)
The Quinn administration’s plans, however, got support from some other advocates for the disabled.
"This is a golden opportunity for state of Illinois to do better," Amber Smock, director of advocacy for Access Living in Chicago, said in a news conference before the hearing. Fourteen other states have no large state institutions at all, she said.
#Source: The State Journal-Register By JASON NEVEL Oct 24, 2011
http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1872808867/1-000-people-turn-out-for-hearing-on-JDC-closure
Carl Jones, who has severe brain damage, is happy at JDC, and it’s hard for him to adjust to new surroundings, the elder Jones told a hearing held in Jacksonville Monday night to discuss JDC’s proposed closure.
"If you close JDC, where would he go?" Jones asked about his son.
Earnest Jones was among roughly 100 people -- elected officials, Jacksonville residents, union leaders, advocates for people with disabilities and tenants of JDC -- who spoke during the three-hour-plus hearing.
About 1,000 people, most of whom opposed the closure, attended the hearing, which was conducted by the legislative Commission on Governmental Forecasting and Accountability.
Under state law, COGFA must hold a public hearing in any community where a state facility that employs 25 or more people faces closure. The panel will make a recommendation to Quinn in 15 days.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he needs to close JDC and six other state institutions because lawmakers didn't allocate enough money in the budget. A total of 2,000 state workers would be laid off under Quinn's plan.
About 190 disabled people receive care at JDC, and about 400 people work there.
Quinn was absent from the hearing. His plan is also being challenged in court.
Quinn's budget director, David Vaught, said at the hearing closing JDC would save the state $10 million.
However, state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, said the savings would be closer to $2.6 million after the cost of moving patients is factored in.
"People don't trust your numbers, " McCann told state officials.
The Illinois Department of Human Services' budget was slashed by $68 million under the plan approved by lawmakers, Vaught said.
"We can't spend money we don't have," he said.
Department of Human Services Secretary Michelle Saddler said the closure is also part of a long-term goal to move people out of institutional care to more home-like settings.
Kevin Casey, director of DHS’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, said another reason JDC was identified for closure is because the building needs repairs, including roads and boilers. JDC is the oldest facility of its kind in the state, officials said.
The institution got its start as the Illinois State Asylum and Hospital for the Insane in the 1840s. It has provided treatment for the developmentally disabled since 1974.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard said closing the facility would take $47 million out of Morgan County. Jacksonville is "the place to care for people with disabilities,” he said.
The Quinn administration’s plans, however, got support from some other advocates for the disabled.
"This is a golden opportunity for state of Illinois to do better," Amber Smock, director of advocacy for Access Living in Chicago, said in a news conference before the hearing. Fourteen other states have no large state institutions at all, she said.
#Source: The State Journal-Register By JASON NEVEL Oct 24, 2011
http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1872808867/1-000-people-turn-out-for-hearing-on-JDC-closure
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