State to close Fernald and 3 other institutions

This is a wonderful day for people with developmental disabilities and their families! Governor Patrick and his administration have demonstrated great courage. People with cognitive and intellectual disabilities should be served in the community. It is the right thing to do, it is the progressive thing to do, and it is much more cost effective. Fernald is the oldest institution of it's kind in the United States, and it's closing will be a symbol that the era of segregation for people with developmental disabilities is finally coming to an end.

This state government loves to pick on the defenceless. I am ashamed to live here. Fire some of the lay-a-bout state workers or contractors.

Sad. I'm not sure where the benefit is on this. It appears the state will benefit financially on this. The group home cost vs. the Fernald. Of course, now the state gets to sell a very attractive and lucrative piece of real estate(Fernald). As the years go by, life in any form becomes a financial commodity. Yes we can.

What I am wondering is this.....where will these people go? I think these institutions should be closed - don't get me wrong. I hope the disabled will be properly care for after these places close.

Delaware wants to do the same here but neighborhoods have been up in arms about having group homes in their neighborhoods. You know how that goes...not in my back yard. The stigma surrounding these unfortunate people hidden and locked away in asylums created in the pre-Victorian era is a black mark on our society and in the pages of America's history; but sadly, some persist in the belief that "hidden away" is where they should remain. Why is it that human rights pertain to everyone else but not our mentally challenged?

Deb Wood,
Do you know anyone living there? I worked there in the late 70's and know that the people who remain there now are those who did not make it in the community or who are low functioning and have never known another environment. I work in a profession where I see people from group homes, and trust me the staff are often pretty low functioning themselves. Of course, it's better for people to stay in the community, but these are individuals who were placed there decades ago, and that is their home.

Big Jim,

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. While Fernald houses some of the most severely disabled persons served in Massachusetts and has provided useful supports to those individuals in the past, it's well past time to move those individuals to community-based settings -- settings where regardless of their disability level they can be integrated into society and do the same things -- go to a movie, eat at a restaurant, shop for groceries -- that you or I can do. While moving those people will save a small amount of money, that's an ancillary effect -- the main effect will be an improvment in their lives as they move away from an institutional model and into a more 'normal' existence like the rest of us, and they'll get the supports they need to do so. I know this because I run a program for developmentally disabled adults and work with the Fernald population from time to time. Do you have similar experiences and knowledge upon which to base your comments? Or are you simply enjoying the ability the internet gives you to anonymously run your mouth off with nary a clue what you're talking about?

He did this because of money... No other reason. Maybe he should put up those 10K curtains and the cadillac he bought the first week after being elected up for auction. Didn't he just close down a state run program that paid blind people MINIMUM wage a few months ago... 30 some odd blind people out of work because of him.

In the early 1970's my late mother taught basic home finances to some higher functioning residents at Fernald on a volunteer basis in the early evenings. While things may have changed since then, she told me the severity and intensity of some residents' disabilities was extraordinary.

I am all for public governmental prudence, financially and otherwise, but I sincerely hope Governor Patrick, with whom I sympathize on numerous issues, has made the correct decision here. Group homes can be magnificent platforms for the chronically disabled. But those with severe medical and psychiatric conditions may not be best served in them. Time will tell. To the families of those with loved ones affected in this decision, I wish you success and peace with the transition.

I agree Big Jim. While they try to make this sound nice it is not. The problem being some of these people have lived in here their whole lives and it is all they know. By moving them to a new environment with new people and a new lifestyle can not only confuse them but frusterate and scare them as well. Governor Patrick has no idea what he is doing and I am embarassed to live here.

I agree with Big Jim; this administration, like the one(s) before it has no clue about the mentally handicapped people who live in facilities like Fernald and Templeton. These 200 or so residents @ Fernald are just not capable of living out in society as the governor(s) believe that they can. Since my uncle was removed from the secure and happy enviroment that he "grew-up in" @ the Fernald School, his health has not been the best, and the group home he lives in is poorly managed. There may have been theft and abuse over the years @ Fernald- poorly trained staff stealing and physically abusing the clients there- but the theivery that goes on @ his group home is beyond belief. The Fernald League was formed to help all clients and families improve all the conditions that were plaguing the school during the 1940's thru the late -60's, and they succeeded until the state decided that all the residents were "draining the state coffers" of funds that should be sent elsewhere...such as the huge pensions and "payoffs" for the lay-a-bouts in state government.
Let the few that remain @ Fernald die in peace, in a place that many have called home for so long. To remove them now would only sentence them to death that much quicker.

This is not a wonderful day for the many who have resided in Fernald for 50+ years. They will be devastated by the changes. I am sorry I voted for Deval Patrick. The Fernald postage stamp proposal should have been considered.

As the mother of a developmentally disabled son, I am glad that more people will be serviced in community.

Hopefully the state will also put the land freed up on the competitive market and get full value for it instead of giving a sweetheart deal to some well-connected developer who wants to line his own pockets. 196 Acres in Waltham is worth a fortune as long as the NIMBYs don't start howling.

A victory? These are not the people that bag groceries at Shaws. These people are profoundly disabled. They cannot care for their on physical needs in some cases. This is the only home they have ever known and they are being moved so the state can sell the land. If that were not true than they would let the land revert back to the city and thay are not. Before you think this is a good thing go and visit the Fernald and form your own opinion.

Let's hope that the agencies in charge of their care actually tend to their needs, and don't simply devise smaller, more intimate closets into which to lock them away from the world. Too many of these "care" institutions are little more than warehouses, taking large stipends from the state and applying them directly to their corporate salaries, and letting the poor unfortunates rot in poorly supervised squalor.

This will be very traumatic for the severely disabled individuals who live at Fernald. Some of them have lived there for decades, and have never lived anywhere else. They will not be able to be successfully re-integrated into the community, and will require a lot of care. A smart decision, Patrick?

Currently, the few remaining cognitively disabled residents of Fernald are individuals who have lived the majoritiy of their lives on that campus. It is their home! They are familiar with the buildings, the staff, the routine, and the area (i.e. stores, banks, doctors, etc.) These residents are the last of the last at Fernald. They are, in many cases, the most physically and mentally challenged. To uproot them from their home, their source of security, and shuffle them all together to another state institution is a crime!

Gee when Romney wanted to close Fernald he was labeled an Ogre. Now Deval is progressive and is demonstrating coverage? It sounds like 6 blind men describing an elephant. It's all in the spin.

The governor is putting quite a spin on what is nothing more than taking from those who can't defend themselves. Rather than cut the fat or deal with the unions Deval is choosing to cut from the people who absolutely need the most help. I am ashamed and I can't believe the Globe isn't calling it what it is.

The govenor is putting quite a spin on what is nothing more than taking from those who can't defend themselves. Rather than cut the fat or deal with the unions Deval is choosing to cut from the people who absolutely need the most help. I am ashamed and I can't believe the Globe isn't calling it what it is.

It costs $130,000 less to house them in the community because they do not get the same level of services that they get in the "institutions". In there the services the need come to them. In the community they compete with the rest of us to get those services. Since they are now in the community they are lower on the totem pole than you and I so they miss out. Way to care for the vulnerable and underserved Deval. Your a real champion of the those who can't vote! What's next state sponsored eugenics? That should solve the problem.

Ultimately many of these mental patients will end up homeless and living on the streets. It will be the job of the next Governor to remedy that..

The Fernald has done such a wonderful job caring for these people, most of whom have happily and peacefully grown old on this campus. The term "institutionalization" has a negative connotation which is simply not deserved in this case. It's too bad that these folks, many of whom have called the Fernald home for nearly their entire lives, will have their lives disrupted and be sent away from the only home they've every known.

It appears to be a good idea if the transition to the community and ongoing services are properly funded. The trouble is that in Mass every time there is a budget issue, programs for the most vunerable citizens are always cut. At this time programs for the mentally disabled and for elders are being hit hard. It is inevitable that some of these people will end up in institutions because of the missing services. If the state is just going to turn around and do this to these individuals, they won't save money or improve lives.

Big Jim, we'd be happy to see you leave. Or if you prefer you can pony up the extra 137k per person to keep everyone living in relic institutions.

If the logic this were true then congregate living of any type would be wrong. Why do many elderly people who have disabilities want to live in assisted living? Why do college kids want to live in dorms? Its the access to the services that they need! The "institutions" went away in the 70's. This is not what the movies are made of. For many people living in apartment type living or a dorm setting such as the facilities provides a placement that is appropriate. Many of these folks have jobs, they have community outings as a group, they live with people who they have been with for years, have friends and like where they live. Why evict them? Leo S. knows the houses will cost more that facility placement.

I know that Fernald has had a bad reputation and at least in the past, deservedly so. But I strongly disagree with closing ALL state run facilities for people with developmental disabilities. My great aunt lived in Wrentham state school. Her parents kept her at home until they could no longer cope with her behavior-she would have uncontrollable tantrums and would self-mutilate each month when she menstruated. The extended family visited her often and would take her for outings. I had never met her and asked my mother to take me to see her when I got older. It was horrible! We couldn't see the residents but we could hear their screaming from the floors above. The buildings were old and decrepit. Then Governor King was elected and took a special interest in the treatment of these residents-what changes took place! Cozy cottages were built on the grounds and we could see residents watching TV, socializing and really enjoying themselves. The employees were amazing-the greatest. They didn't just take care of the residents but cared about them. My aunt loved it there-there were lots of activities that she enjoyed and participated in such as gardening. After so many years there, perhaps she became "institutionalized" but as much as she loved us to visit and take her home for visits and outings, she also could not wait to go back "home". So state run facilities do not have to be like Fernald and I think there is a place for them.

That it has taken this long is amazing. New Hampshire has not had an institution since 1991. It began phasing it sole institutiion for persons with intellectual disabilities in the mid 1980's. This is one area in which Massachusetts and its overly paternalistic attitude, lags way behind the rest of the nation. There are 7 institutions left in New England, 6 are in Massachusetts. There is no justification to continue to segregate these Commonwealth citizens in the remaining institutions. If folks are relocating, they should allowed to live in more homelike community settings.

If the logic this were true then congregate living of any type would be wrong. Why do many elderly people who have disabilities want to live in assisted living? Why do college kids want to live in dorms? Its the access to the services that they need! The "institutions" went away in the 70's. This is not what the movies are made of. For many people living in apartment type living or a dorm setting such as the facilities provides a placement that is appropriate. Many of these folks have jobs, they have community outings as a group, they live with people who they have been with for years, have friends and like where they live. Why evict them? The dollars reported are not correct.

The facilities are not the same today as they were in the past. By closing the facilities, it takes away people's rights and choices. People with developmental disabilities have no say in the matter and most of them cannot speak for themselves.
Yes, everyone has an opinion, and people who think this is the right thing to do, do not have first hand knowledge about this special class of people nor do they have any first hand knowledge when it comes to advocating or taking care of a person with developmental disabilities.
The community may be great for the folks who are high functioning but for those who are low functioning, the community cannot service them. My sister who is mentally disabled almost died from a severe infection while living in the community because the doctors could not deal with her medical issues or her mental disability. She is now at a facility where there is seasoned staff and she is receiving better medical care now than she has gotten in years. There are more activities available for her at the facility.
My point is, not everyone with mental disabilities can thrive in the community. These people deserve choices like everyone else! The state of Massachusetts is looking for money to save. The state needs to look elsewhere and leave the most vulnerable people alone!

Having a child born with Down syndrome, I find it disappointing that the author of this article, one Matt Viser, chose to use the term "mentally retarded" in his second paragraph. The use of that description of someone who is "intellectually challenged" is archaic and insulting. In my view it;s the same as referring to a black person as "colored". It's this kind of insensitivity that keeps that term actively used by teens and in some cases adults. How often do we hear kids refer to others as "what a retard". In my case much too often.

I don't know about the other facilities but many familar with the plight of the remaining residents of Fernald feel that shutting it down will have nothing but negative effects on the residents.

The move to close it is has less to do the well-being of the residents than it does with the potential value of the grounds.

I fear this is about saving money rather than quality of services. In the early 1990s, Governor Weld agreed to close mental health hospitals out of compassion and streamlining services. This year, we closed Department of Mental Health Day Treatment Programs out of budget concerns. We downsize and eliminate long-term, expensive programs for cheaper alternatives. I fear that mainstreaming is being a daily trip to Dunkin Donuts rather than substantial therapies and support.

The people in developmental centers and their famlies have preferred this kind of secure treatment for 30 years, and now suddenly will change their minds. What Goveror Orwell, uh Patrick, calls "an expansion of community choice" is really a dilemma for hundreds of families: move their loved one to a distant facility where they will have a hard time visiting or influencing care; or try riskier group home placement without appropriate nursing care and a 30% higher chance of neglect or abuse. Brave to announce it on a Friday afternoon, too.

At 239,000 per person to house this group of citiznes of the commonwealth seems outragess and so does 139,000. It is time to cut the budget in this area at that price. Give them foster care status and place them homes at 12,000 a year stipends i.e 1000 month. That should save the state more money.

When this came up before, there was a story about ,I want to say, twin sisters who didn't want to go. Fernald is their home. To throw someone out 'in the community' after being institutionalized their entire life is just cruel and inhumane, even if it is a group home. These folks ask little enough, if they ask at all.

Somebody tell the editor that the Hogan Center is in Hathorne, not Hawthorne.

People living in Fernald include adults who are at the developmental age of an infant or toddler. I'm wondering what exactly they are going to do when they are "integrated into the community". I forsee incredible neglect and disgusting treatment of these people when they're thrown into busy, understaffed, undertrained halfway houses. I wonder how many will die in this first year?

Also, remember the biggg deinstitutionalization push back in in the 1960's? Those people were "liberated" onto the streets, into a system that had no way to care for them. To this day, the front line for mentally ill who aren't able to get private treatment is the law, not hospitals. PEople tend to end up in jail whereas before, they might have gotten help n an institution.

I know how to save the State money,keep Fernald open & move State offices there from Boston.The State pays way more in rent for the downtown offices than they would pay to move them to Fernald.They won't do that though because someone is going to make some mega-cash in a Fernald sale.Another point is they can't sell the Malone Park section of Fernald,that is donated land from the Malone family & it is to be used for the mentaly challanged.So just in case that does get sold in a Fernald sale something funny going on here.I just smell a rat.

What a shame! People who have spent their entire lives in a quiet, controlled, healthy environment being cared for by wonderful employees who enrich their lives are going to be thrust into the world of understaffed, underfunded, under-regulated group homes. These people are not "segregated" from society- they are PROTECTED from it!

What a cruel way to save money.

So.. where are these people going to go?? The State is looking for people to buy homes and lease back to them for these homes... HOW MUCH IS THAT GOING TO COST!!!!!!!!!
Why can't we consiolidate some in to Fernald and otherside of the state.. this would be good for all instead of scattered all around. Family's wouldn't have to worry. WHAT IS WRONG with Fernald anyway.. they have everything they need in there COMMUNITY. Workshops, church, gym, 24 hour care..with a staff that they have all know for most of there lives. This just doesn't affect the client, it also affects those who have cared for them all these years.

Yes, regrettably this is sort of a victory for “Greedy Profit Makers” of our times. They have little or no shame. Maybe this case should be decided by the highest court of our land.

Oh, how fortunate I find myself not to be counted among the "Greed Is Good Society". And, how shameful can one be so close Christmas, to renege on a promise of permanence once given by the State of Massachusetts. This is a shameful way to treat the group in our society least able to object or voice a protest. I am now much ashamed on behalf of the leadership of our State.
Christian S. Bolgen

This is not a straightforward issue, though this article would gloss over the cons of the situation. DMR is a very small portion of the state's budget, and laying people off from the agency would do little to help the budget, and would only weaken the support for the "defenseless" community. Fernald is an aging and sprawling campus, and the grounds are worth a LOT of money. I can understand why the state and Waltham want to close the place, but the fact of the matter is (and this applies to all of the regional centers) that they serve as homes to many people, as well as administrative bases for the hundreds of community homes. Moves like this shouldn't be all-or-nothing, and in the long run, this will only serve to hurt the community, not strengthen it.

Don't you people have any regard for the Residents of the Fernald who call this their "home"? To displace the current Residents who are emotionally comfortable and have considered The Fernald as well as the Staff thier family and home is just not right. Some of these Residents have families and some of them don't. What happens to those who don't and consider the others around them their family. They will be confused and unhappy, does that not count for anything? I think it would be a cruel and injust step to close the Fernald.

The point that is often missed in the closing of state institutions is that they have been/ are the HOME for all of those patients partially due to family not willing or able to care for those people, or cities/towns not wanting a residential in their neighborhood. Met state pts, Gaebler pts.. other big state institutions that left people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities feeling displaced, not important, kicked out, YET AGAIN. Working currently on an inpt psych floor I see all of these displaced individuals that most often speak fondly of the Old state hosp that made them feel safe and cared for. It hasn't been the answer and will remain the wrong answer. The right thing to do is refurbish all of the old state hospitals that are still standing years later, wasting away while displaced pts rotate in and out of inpt floors not feeling stable or safe and return them to the state hospitals that sit within the same communities unused and being upkept with state money we don't have.

I am afraid that our relatives and his friends with be placed inappropriately and may end up homeless and dead somewhere because there will be no place for them to go. They may end up eventually beaten up in an alley or die in a home where the staff are not adequately educated or have the back up of nurse or psychiatrist to handle one of their behaviors. Here and there in the past year I have seen in a vendor group home that a nonverbal, underweight man was fed mayonnaise sandwiches and his work program called his sister to let her know. What if he had no sister to advocate for him? I have seen homes where the staff was inadequate and the staff inadvertently ran over a resident with a vehicle. As family and guardians we advocate for our loved ones. Please know that if a client at a facility does want to go to a community home that they are evaluated for it and many have been placed there. Sometimes a new medication or treatment can make it ok for them to go to a house. Then again sometimes people do not make it in the community and the Hogans and Wrenthams take them in for awhile and help them get back on track. This service is invaluable. And what if a person needs the supports not available in the community - well then these facilities take them. Know too that some of these folks do go out for a treat with a staff member, to Church, to McDonalds, to Salem Willows. Dunkin Donuts. Some can only stand so much time outside and need to come back to the structure that the facility provides. For many of us families - if our folks could have stayed at home rather than in a facility they would be with us. We love them and will fight to keep them safe and happy. For other states that have no such facilities, I honestly believe that the people probably die after they age out of the system, after their parents die they are not long after. Is this what we want to do - is this where our state is headed - Rather than be forward thinking, just pick the current PC opinion and let the vendors take over? Know that the vendors have lobbyists that want us to turn the $$$ over to them. What do the heads of those non profs make? If a vendor can't handle our people's behaviors, then where do they go? Please understand what is going on here.

For the people who live in houses I applaud you. Many of you get along not only fine but better than fine. Parents and siblings need to be ever vigilant there too. But families of the people in the houses , know this. We are all in a boat and there is a hole in the back of the boat. You are up in the front of the boat. Do not just say - oh it's too bad the back of the boat is sinking. The boat is sinking. I am afraid for all of us.

For those who do not "like the MR dagnosis words", I understand the hurt, but whatever you want to call it , we are all in trouble. We need to stick together.

I know in my heart that this is something that will be good for the individuals of these institutions. This is not about the money, that is merely a fact stated in the article. This is about the quality of human life. Being isolated from the world outside, knowing nothing outside of the property except the local movie theater is not a way to live your life. No one should live like that, no one.

Also, these individuals will have somewhere to go. There will be housing made available to them through non-profit organizations around the state. Both of my parents work for these organizations and the sole purpose of them is to help people with disabilities live a happier, more fulfilled life. Again, I am confident that this is what is best for the individuals.

Rebeah

Forgive me for saying - you don't understand. I know some foks are ok out in the houses. But I have seen some who have failed there. I know what its like to spend the night in a community hospital ER & Boston with hospital people who have no experience with multiply disabled, intellectually challenged patients with psychiatric issues. Its not ok. A poorly staffed house may not be able to handle this. But the facilities can and do because they have the experience,

They are not isolated people. It is a community. Like Brooksby for rhe elderly or Lifecare or any other assisted living that older americans flock to, these are places where similar needs or disabilities are serviced well.

The house vendors have sold DMR leaders to this "politicalyy correct " billlof goods and so they get studies to serve the purpose and sell it to the governors - all of them since Weld.

Massachusetts families fought when the facilities were horrible places. They did the Ricci class, They went to Judge Tauro. They fought fo get facilities with great care. They fought for choice. Massachusetts is a forward thinking state and only by fighting the "experts" that ran the show in those days did good care prevail by family advocacy. DMR as a department is planning its own obsolelence at the expense of the lives of the disabled. Listen to the families they were right before and they are right now.

This is a vendor driven movement

We use the pool at the Fernald School for my handicapped young boy every week. (Greene Pool ) We found it by word of mouth.. It is the BEST swimming pool I have ever been in . It has a ramp to get our boy into the water . The water is very warm so my boy does not have a seizure .. It is beautiful ... It was made for handicapped children and adults. Best of all my boy who cannot talk or walk, has advanced so much in the 2 years we have been going to the pool we rarly visit emergency rooms at hospitals. Things have been going so good for us . Swimming is a great form of therapy. I always see many other children and parents using this facility. I asked where we will have to go now to use another handicapped pool. I was told Wrentham. Where is that from Medford its on the other side of the world? I read in an article that 32,000 people who are not full time residents at the school use the facility. What do these people do now? This is a very sad day for my family and the State of Ma .

Raymond & Patricia OBrien

MY DAUGHTER , WHO HAS DOWNES , HAS BEEN IN GROUP HOMES, SINCE 1995. ONE WAS A DISASTER. THE STAFF WERE ON THE BORDER LINE OF CRUELTY TO THE RESIDENCES .. THE NEXT HOME WAS GREAT, BUT MY DAUGHTER BECAME PSYCHOTIC AND THE STAFF COULD NOT HANDLE HER. SHE ENDED UP IN THREE LOCKED WARDS. ONE FOR THE MONTH OF FEB. LAST YEAR , BACK AGAIN FOR THE MONTH OF OCT. AND THEN TO A THIRD ONE FOR EIGHTY SIX DAYS. YESTERDAY SHE WAS TRANSFERD TO HOGAN. , WHERE SHE CAN BE CARED FOR. THANK GOD.