From the Associated Press:

Government investigators have found a pattern of serious problems and abuse in a large Kentucky institution for people with intellectual disabilities, but the state’s political leaders won’t consider closing it.

Bluegrass Communities at Oakwood houses 220 people in a segregated setting. Nationwide, the trend has been to eliminate large care centers and serve people in apartments, houses or group homes in the community.

The financial stakes here are high. Federal officials cut off the center’s $60 million annual funding this spring after receiving reports of poor treatment of residents, and the state has since picked up the entire $78 million annual cost of operations. The facility employs 1,300 people, and there are allegations that the state is keeping people segregated in an institution for the purpose of maintaining jobs in rural southern Kentucky.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable public policy to keep people in institutions just because a community needs jobs,” said Peter V. Berns, executive director of the Arc of the United States.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 5:44 am and is filed under abuse, institutionalization, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post