Deal Reached to Keep Facilities Open!!

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This article appeared at the Chicago Tribune’s website at 8:04PM on Monday night. 

State deal reached to keep Tinley mental health center, other facilities open for time being

By Monique Garcia and Ray Long Tribune reporters

8:04 p.m. CST, November 28, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Tinley Park Mental Health Center and six other state facilities would stay open in the short term and nearly 1,900 layoffs would be avoided under a deal struck Monday night, according to leading Democrats and Republicans.

The outline of an agreement was worked out in the Capitol office of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who huddled with lawmakers from both parties for more than two hours.

Emerging from Quinn’s office, Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno said details are still being crafted, but a measure “will be very clear that the facilities are to stay open pending any kind of orderly transition of those that may need to close in the future.”

“We’ll avoid that chaos that we were afraid would happen with what the governor had proposed,” said Radogno of Lemont.

During the summer, Quinn targeted for quick closure mental health centers in Tinley Park, Rockford and downstate Chester, centers for the developmentally disabled in Jacksonville and Dixon, a prison in Lincoln and a youth center in Murphysboro. He blamed the legislature for failing to provide enough money in the budget.

Quinn’s office confirmed late Monday that a plan is now in place. It’s likely to be voted on Tuesday, which is supposed to be the General Assembly’s last session day of the year.

“We have reached a bipartisan budget agreement that achieves the goal of keeping the seven state facilities slated for closure open throughout this fiscal year using existing state resources,” the administration said in a statement.

The money to keep all of the facilities open through at least June 30 is expected to come from lawmakers shifting money around following Quinn’s budget vetoes this summer. The mental health centers and homes for the developmentally disabled still eventually would close as residents are moved into community-based settings the next few years, aides have said.

Also Monday, legislation to rein in high-profile pension abuses moved within a step of Quinn’s desk.

The measure, which arose in response to Tribune/WGN-TV investigations, would block union leaders representing city workers from double dipping into both union and public pensions and rein in the practice of basing public pensions on heftier union salaries. The proposal also would nix a law that let two teacher union lobbyists get a public pension by serving only one day as substitute teachers.

“I don’t know if you’re angry, if you’re frustrated, if you’re dismayed, if you’re shocked, if you’re appalled. It’s all of the above,” said House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego.

The bill cleared the House Personnel and Pensions Committee on a 9-0 vote and advanced to the full House, where Cross predicted passage as early as Tuesday. It already has passed the Senate.

Back to Work…

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The Illinois legislature is scheduled to return for a special session tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29th.  This return is supposed to provide an opportunity to address issues left unresolved in the two veto sessions in late October and Early November.  Issues that could – and should – include addressing funding needs for facilities such as Mabley Center.

But more than one report online suggests that the special session won’t address those issues.  According to centralillinoisnewscenter.com:

Lawmakers return to Springfield Tuesday– but they’re not scheduled to take up any budget-related issues until late January. That’s almost two months after Quinn’s closure-deadline.

The Governor is reportedly urging lawmakers to address this issue first. Instead, committees tomorrow are expected to focus on a package of tax breaks to keep large companies like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Sears– from leaving the state. Estimates show those incentives could cost the state 850 million dollars a year.

It seems inconceivable that lawmakers would ignore this vital issue until January.  This would move their next meeting well past the closure date of some of the facilities on the list, and significantly shorten the window to allow for a humane process for others.

It’s extremely important that our legislators address this very important issue affecting the people living at Mabley Center quickly and definitively.  Even if you’ve already contacted them before, please consider contacting your legislator’s again and ask them to allocate funding for Mabley Center during the November 29th special session.  Once again, we’ll make this as painless as possible for you:

Follow this link to the Illinois State Board of Elections and enter your street address:

Illinois State Board of Elections

You will get a list of all of your governmental representatives, including your state senator and state representative. Each of their names is also a link, which will take you to a page with their phone numbers and email addresses.

Whether you call or write, tell them your name and address so they know you are in their district. For emailers, feel free to use the form below as is, or as a starting point for your own thoughts:

For State Representatives:

Your name
Your street and number
Your city, state, and zip

Dear Representative NAME,

Please restore funding for Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon when you return for the Special Session on November 29th. It is extremely important that we support these vital safety net services for our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

————–

For State Senators:

Your name
Your street and number
Your city, state, and zip

Dear Senator NAME,

Please restore funding for Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon when you return for the Special Session on November 29th. It is extremely important that we support these vital safety net services for our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

Please note, Senator Tim Bivins does not list an email address on the elections board website, but can be reached through this contact page on his own senate website.

Quinn close on deal to avoid facility closures

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The following article by Monique Garcia appeared in the Chicago Tribune on 11/16/11.

Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday that he’s close to a deal with lawmakers that would keep seven state facilities open through the end of the budget year and prevent 1,900 layoffs.

Quinn said his office has been working with legislative budget leaders on a plan that would stop the closures if lawmakers agree to uphold roughly $225 million in vetoes he made this summer. That money was set aside for things like school transportation and hospital bills, but would instead be shifted around to keep the facilities open through at least next June.

“I am very optimistic,” Quinn said. “I think we’re very, very close and we’ve got to get this done right.”

The idea is that lawmakers would vote on the matter when they return to Springfield the week after Thanksgiving, though Quinn and others caution it’s not yet a done deal.

“We are reviewing options with all caucuses to accomplish the goal of keeping facilities open for the remainder of the year,” said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont echoed those comments, saying talks are ongoing.

If approved, the facilities in line for a reprieve include the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, the Illinois Youth Center, a juvenile prison in far southern Illinois, mental health centers in Tinley Park, Rockford and Chester, and centers for the developmentally disabled in Jacksonville and Dixon.

Most of the layoffs planned by Quinn would be stopped, though it’s likely pink slips would stand for a handful of workers in agencies such as Department of Agriculture.

While the mental health centers and homes for the developmentally disabled would not close immediately, Quinn still plans to close a number of the facilities over the next several years in what the administration refers to a “rebalancing” of social service dollars.

The proposal would move 600 residents out of developmentally disabled facilities over the next two-and-a-half years, transferring them from institutions to community-based settings. During that time, as many as four state-run centers for the developmentally disabled would be closed, said Quinn spokeswoman Brie Callahan.

A similar plan is in place for those living in mental health centers, with those seeking more acute short-term care being transferred to nearby hospitals. The state would then close at least two mental health centers, with those needing long term care still being housed in state-run facilities.

“We have to do this in a way that’s carefully done, that works with the community, that works with the family members,” Quinn said.

No answer yet for Mabley Center

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The following article by Emily K. Coleman appeared at SaukValley.com on 11/11/11.

It’s not over yet.

Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly adjourned Thursday afternoon without addressing a few big issues, including a supplemental budget.

That budget, Gov. Pat Quinn says, is necessary to keep seven state-run facilities open.

That includes the Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon.

Its supporters had hoped to have the issue resolved by the time the Legislature’s veto session ended Thursday, but it could still be addressed this year.

A special session is in the works for November after Thanksgiving.

Plenty of negotiating did happen over the 6 days of the fall veto session between the governor’s office, both parties and both chambers, multiple sources have said.

“The goal remains to not increase spending,” said state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine. “I’m not quite sure they’ll achieve that goal, but I think they’ll do what they can to keep facilities open for this year.”

Quinn vetoed a few budget line items, saying that money could be reappropriated to keep the facilities open.

The whole budget should be looked at again, said State Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, to see if there are savings to be found in other areas.

“There’s no good solution here,” Bivins said. “Right now, I don’t like what’s been done. It’s something we’re definitely going to have to look at. If that’s the only alternative or option, we might have to hold our noses and vote for it. I don’t know.”

The governor’s office also released a plan for the Department of Human Services – which oversees the Mabley Center, one developmental center and three mental health centers, all set to close – if the Legislature appropriates the money.

Under the plan, state-run facilities still would close, but more cautiously, and with the intent of moving those residents who would rather be in community-based group homes to that setting.

The goal is to reduce the number of developmental center residents by 600 by June 30, 2014, which could mean the closure of up to four facilities, depending on the size of the facilities that end up closing.

There hasn’t been any decision about which facilities are likely to be the ones that close, Quinn spokeswoman Brie Callahan said.

The decision will be based on certain criteria, including the needs of the residents, staffing levels and the facilities themselves.

But for Quinn to go ahead with this plan, she said, the Legislature needs to appropriate the money.

The line item for state-run developmental centers was cut by 22 percent, a spokesman for the Department of Human Services has said.

Quinn’s plan online

Go to www.scribd.com/doc/72279734/Gov-Quinn’s-Rebalancing-Initiative to see the governor’s plan.

Governor Quinn’s NEW closure plan

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Although the legislature hasn’t yet appropriated additional funding to keep Mabley open, there’s a new plan taking shape to close four developmental centers over the next 2.5 years.  Here is Quinn’s senior health care policy adviser, Michael Gelder, explaining the plan Thursday morning:

New budget plan may avert closures, layoffs

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This article, written by Kurt Erickson of the Southern Springfield Bureau, originally appeared at TheSouthern.com on 11/9/11.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn has floated a retooled budget plan that could avert more than 1,900 layoffs and the closure of seven state facilities.

As part of an 11th-hour budget agreement being brokered with lawmakers, Quinn instead would agree to close four state developmental centers and two mental health facilities within the next 2 ½ years.

It remained unclear Wednesday whether a deal could be approved before the end of the fall veto session Thursday.

Under the governor’s new proposal, the Department of Human Services would reduce the number of residents served by state-operated developmental centers by at least 600. That would allow the agency to close up to four of the state’s eight developmental centers by the summer of 2014.

An outline of the proposal did not identify which facilities, including centers in Anna, Dwight, Dixon and Centralia, may be on the future chopping block.

The new plan also calls for the closure of two unidentified state psychiatric hospitals by mid-2014.

The proposal would at least temporarily end Quinn’s threat to close Logan Correctional Center and the youth prison in Murphysboro.

For state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, the potential deal could be a double-edged sword. Although the Murphysboro youth center could be spared, it could put the Choate Developmental Center in Anna in the cross-hairs for future closure.

“It’s frustrating. This has been the way Quinn works. He tests the wind and then changes his mind. We need a leader,” Bost said.

The revamped closure plan doesn’t specifically address other cuts made by Quinn in reaction to the budget he was handed by lawmakers in May.

Regional school superintendents, for example, were still pushing for legislation Wednesday allowing them to get paid for the first time since July.

Funds to reimburse hospitals and school districts for various costs also remained in limbo with one day left before lawmakers leave town for the year.

It appeared Quinn’s decision to cut money for school transportation costs may stand, leaving local districts scrambling to pay for busing.

“There’s not a lot of support for education in the negotiating room,” said state Rep. Will Davis, D-Chicago.

The new plan was being circulated a day before a legislative panel is scheduled to meet to vote on Quinn’s recommendation to close Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Jacksonville Development Center and the Tinley Park Mental Health Center.

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability last month voted to reject Quinn’s plan to close mental health centers in Chester and Rockford, a developmental center in Dixon and the juvenile lock-up in Murphysboro.

Although the commission’s recommendation is non-binding, the governor has never gone against the commission’s recommendations.

Families Travel to Springfield

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This article, by Emily K. Coleman, originally appeared at SaukValley.com on 11/9/11.

It’s a budget issue for the governor.

But for the residents of the two developmental centers on the governor’s closure list and their families, the issue is much bigger.

“It’s home,” Violet Fleming said.

Her son, Marty Fleming, who is 47 but developmentally is 3 years old, has lived at the Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon for 25 years, she said.

“He’s in a family, community setting where people know his needs on a daily basis, and we have such good communication with everyone there,” she said.

And so she doesn’t want her son to leave the Mabley Center, which is why she traveled to Springfield Tuesday, hoping to speak with the governor.

She was with about a dozen family members of Mabley Center residents as well as others with family members in other state-run developmental centers.

They didn’t get to talk to Gov. Pat Quinn, but as a group, they did speak with Michael Gelder, who has been his senior health care policy adviser for more than 2 years and the acting director of the state Department on Aging since August.

They did not have an appointment, but Rita Burke, president of the Illinois League of Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled, said she requested an appointment in June when the Legislature cut funding to the developmental centers.

Sauk Valley Media wasn’t able to sit in on the meeting. The governor’s office doesn’t allow the media into private meetings with constituents.

But in interviews with family members present, the common thread was that Mabley is working for its residents, while group home community placements haven’t.

Chuck Bess, 43, tried a community placement, said his mother, Sharron Bess of Kewanee.

“He was rushed out of there because he was too volatile,” she said. “He has lots and lots of behavior problems.

“We put him in Mabley, thinking that would be the place for life for him. He loves it there and we love him to be there.”

The governor’s office says there just isn’t enough money.

“We are completely sympathetic and very much understand people’s consternation, especially with the rapidity with which these closures are being sought,” spokeswoman Brie Callahan said.

“But I would point out that these are not closures that we sought this year. These are closures that are being forced because there’s simply not enough money in the budget to keep these facilities running the entire year.”

Because of the costs associated with closing these facilities as well as the fact the official scheduled closure date for Mabley isn’t until February, the savings to the state are minimal.

But, Callahan said, the governor’s office must do something because come spring, just turning off the lights at the facilities is not an option.

The funding issue isn’t over. Even if the closures go through, the Department of Human Services still will have a shortfall unless the General Assembly appropriates more money.

The governor’s office has said that money could come from line-item vetoes Quinn has made to the budget, including to the salaries of regional superintendents and Medicaid reimbursements.

So how did the family members walk away from their meeting?

Barbara Cozzone Achino, who has two sons living at Mabley and is the president of the parents group, isn’t optimistic, although she said the governor’s office would involve families in the steps going forward.

“I’m exhausted. I’m frustrated. I feel we didn’t really get anyplace today,” she said on her way back to her Cherry Valley home. “I feel it’s all about money.

“If they really cared about people with disabilities, they’d find the money.”

A timeline

May: The General Assembly passes a budget with a 22 percent cut to developmental centers, according to Department of Human Services’ numbers.

September: Gov. Pat Quinn announces the proposed closure of seven state-run facilities across three departments.

October: A public hearing is held on the proposed closure of the Jack Mabley Developmental Center. Later that month, the commission votes against the governor’s proposal. The vote is nonbinding.

November: The General Assembly wraps up its fall veto session this week. It could vote on a re-appropriation bill to fund the Mabley Center.

February 2012: The tentative closure date for the Mabley Center.

Closure Viewed in the Real World

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This article was written by Erin Wade, Ph.D. and was originally published on his personal blog.  Dr. Wade has been providing behavioral treatment for persons with developmental disabilities for nearly 20 years, and currently works with the individuals at the Mabley Center as a Clinical Psychologist.

An interesting pattern has emerged surrounding the debate about the closure of Mabley Center in Dixon.

This debate is not a new one.  But usually the sides taken up in the debate are divided between state and community service providers.  This time around, however, the line of argument appears to fall between those with real-world experience in providing services in DD and those who operate primarily with only an abstract or philosophical understanding of the issue.

This was illustrated at the COGFA meeting for Mabley on October 17th.  Many, many parents and family members took their stories to the commission.  Over and over again they explained that their sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters had been served in the community, but that community providers had been unable to manage their needs.  In some cases people had been in and out of community programs multiple times, but ultimately returning to state services because of intensive needs.

The response they receive from those advocating community placement?  Your child/sibling will be happier and better served in the community.

If that response seems to you to suggest the listener has failed to hear what was said by the parents, you are not alone.  Advocates for closure of Mabley Center repeatedly rely upon information about the developmental disability service systems in other states to support the idea of closing centers in Illinois.  What they fail to take into account is the fact that, unlike in those states, the Illinois community system has not been prepared to serve people with intensive developmental, mental health, and behavioral needs.

IARF – the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities – is an organization representing “over 90 community based providers serving children and adults with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and/or substance use dependencies in over 900 locations throughout the state”.  In short, IARF represents actual community service providers in Illinois.

In their comments to COGFA they wrote:

…we do not believe the aggressive closure timeline of the developmental centers as recommended by the Department is conceivable.

The reasons the closures are “not conceivable” can be found in IARF’s recommendations outlining what would be needed to successfully transition people to the community.  Key among these are:

Recommendation 4: Develop community-based capacity to appropriately address the needs and wishes of individuals transitioning to the community. This requires funding to supplement – not supplant existing resources for individuals currently being served in the community.

and

Recommendation 5: Revise existing Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) rates to cover the cost of providing care and clearly identify specialized rates where appropriate. Timely payment must be secured as well.

The board of IARF is comprised of representatives of multiple large and capable community developmental disabilities service providers.  Clearly it is in their interest to have people’s needs met in the community.  They are also acutely aware of the actual state of support for developmental disabilities services in Illinois.

The people and programs with real world experience in providing community services do not support the governor’s plan, do not agree with the advocacy groups who support closure.  This, if nothing else, should give the legislators and the governor pause.

What’s Next?

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COGFA’s vote against closure was very good news in the effort to stop Governor Quinn from closing Mabley Center. That vote represents a major milestone.

Unfortunately, it’s not the end of the fight.

While the commission voted “no” to closure, the legislature finished the first week of the veto session on October 28th – and went back home – without addressing the funding issue. The problem that got all of this started still remains.

The legislature returns for their second veto session next Tuesday, November 8th. We need to make it clear to our state representatives and senators how important it is to fund Mabley Center.

Between now and November 8th we need to write or call our state representatives and state senators and let them know that you want them to fund the Mabley Center in Dixon!

Not sure who your state rep or senator is? Follow this link to the Illinois State Board of Elections and enter your street address:

Illinois State Board of Elections

You will get a list of all of your governmental representatives, including your state senator and state representative. Each of their names is also a link, which will take you to a page with their phone numbers and email addresses.

Whether you call or write, tell them your name and address so they know you are in their district. For emailers, feel free to use the form below as is, or as a starting point for your own thoughts:

For State Representatives:

Your name
Your street and number
Your city, state, and zip

Dear Representative NAME,

Please restore funding for Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon when you return for the Veto Session on November 8th. It is extremely important that we support these vital safety net services for our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

For State Senators:

Your name
Your street and number
Your city, state, and zip

Dear Senator NAME,

Please restore funding for Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon when you return for the Veto Session on November 8th. It is extremely important that we support these vital safety net services for our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

This will help to keep this very important issue front and center for each and every legislator. We’ve come far, and we have to go a little farther to win the fight to save Mabley!

This Looks Promising

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This article originally appeared at TheTelegraph.com on 10/31/11.

Quinn’s $376 million budget veto likely to be spent elsewhere

By ANDREW THOMASON
Illinois Statehouse News

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto pen in an attempt to cut $376 million from the $33.2 billion budget the Legislature sent him this spring, but lawmakers and Quinn already might have found a new way to spend the money.

The Illinois General Assembly didn’t address Quinn’s actions during the first week of its fall veto session. It now has just three scheduled session days to decide whether to try to restore the reductions, or do nothing and let them become reality.

Instead of reversing Quinn’s actions, the idea that seems to be solidifying among lawmakers involves taking a good portion of what Quinn vetoed – between $230 million and $250 million – to fund the seven facilities Quinn has targeted for closure because a lack of money, said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego.

“That would keep their operations going and would keep the closures from happening,” Cross said at a news conference last week.

Dixon Mayor Jim Burke said keeping the Jack Mabley Development Center open and its 163 employees working to help the developmentally disabled is paramount.

“I would be really pleased if we were able to keep it open, both from the human standpoint of these residents who are getting real care, and from the economics standpoint in terms of jobs,” Burke said. “We would be dancing in the streets if we could keep the place open.”

The six other facilities slated for closure are: Chester Mental Health Center in Chester; Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford; Tinley Park Mental Health Center in Tinley Park; Jacksonville Developmental Center in Jacksonville; Illinois Youth Center in Murphysboro; and Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln.

Quinn’s office estimates that it will cost $313 million, or about $64 million more than Cross’ number, to keep the facilities open through June 30.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, was the original sponsor of the budget legislation that Quinn altered. And now it’s up to Madigan to decide whether to call those vetoes for an override vote. So far, no override motion has been filed.

Several calls to Madigan’s office were not returned.

Quinn’s cuts this summer came in the form of $276 million from Medicaid, $89 million for school transportation and more than $11 million for regional offices of education. Last month, Quinn announced he was shuttering the seven state facilities and laying off about 2,000 workers because the Legislature didn’t budget enough money.

To reallocate any of the $376 million, lawmakers have to pass a measure through the same legislative process any other law must go through. Funding for the seven state facilities could be rushed through the General Assembly in the three days left of the fall veto session.

If the legislators vote during veto session to use some of Quinn’s vetoed money to keep the state facilities open, there will be some money left over. How that money is spent likely won’t be decided as quickly, said state Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, who helped negotiate the budget.

“There are still funds that we can appropriate later. We don’t necessarily have to do it all at once,” Harris said. “There are certainly demands that are going to be out there that people wanted funded … or we could just pay down old bills.”

The state currently owes between $4 billion and $5 billion on overdue bills to schools, social service providers and other vendors.

Todd Maisch, vice president of government affairs for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business association, agreed with Harris that overdue bills should be a priority of the Legislature.

“Essentially, the state’s vendors have been floating involuntary loans to the state for many months on end. It’s a simple issue of fairness and how you do business in the state,” Maisch said.

Quinn’s Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, said it is working with the Legislature to agree on where to spend the money the governor vetoed.

“Governor Quinn wants to work with the legislative caucuses to determine how best to identify and utilize any additional funds. Beyond the needs of the agencies (that run the seven state facilities), there remains great necessity in the areas of education, health care and public safety,” said Kelly Kraft, a spokeswoman for OMB.

Legislative leaders, including Madigan and Cross, will be talking with Quinn this week on the budget. The General Assembly returns to the Capitol on Nov. 8.