State will shutter Fernald, 3 others

More than 300 to be shifted to group homes

After years of controversy, the state is closing Fernald Center (above) and three other facilities housing disabled residents. (Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Governor Deval Patrick's administration announced yesterday that it would close four of six state-run institutions for residents with disabilities, including the Fernald Development Center in Waltham, and transfer more than 300 residents to group homes.

It appears to mark the final chapter in a legal battle over whether to keep Fernald open, and it could signal an end to the era of using state-run institutions to house the mentally retarded.

The move brought cheers from advocates who believe that community-based housing saves money and provides residents with a more comfortable setting. But workers' unions vowed to oppose the decision, and those whose family members are staying at the institutions were dismayed about moving fragile loved ones into new living environments.

"I find this very disheartening," said Regina Davidson, whose sister-in-law has spent nearly half of her 65 years at Fernald. "She has said she won't leave the Fernald. How does a guardian go and say, 'You have to leave now?' This is wrong. It is morally wrong. The governor is trying to balance his budget on the most disabled in this state."

In addition to closing Fernald, which houses 161 people and sits on a 196-acre campus in Waltham, the administration plans to close the Glavin Regional Center in Shrewsbury, the Monson Development Center in Palmer, and the Templeton Developmental Center in Baldwinville.

The closings will take place over the next four years, although Fernald will be first and is slated to be closed in July 2010.

State and local officials will begin crafting plans to redevelop the land, and current residents will be transferred to community-based group housing or to one of the two state-run institutions that will remain open, the Wrentham Developmental Center and the Hogan Regional Center in Hathorne, which is part of Danvers.

"It's a victory," said Leo V. Sarkissian, executive director of The ARC of Massachusetts, which advo cates community-based settings for the developmentally disabled. "We recognize that disability should not be a reason to be segregated from the community."

About 900 people are housed in the state's six institutions, while more than 32,000 receive community-based services and support. State officials estimate that 316 of the 476 residents living in the four facilities to be closed will choose to move to community-based housing. The remaining 160 would be moved into the Wrentham and Hathorne facilities.

The only other state in New England that still has institutions for individuals with intellectual disability is Connecticut, which has one such facility.

"This expansion will create real choice for many people with developmental disabilities for whom the community has never been an option, all while providing equal or better care for the residents in a community setting," Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, secretary of health and human services, said at a press conference.

Closing the institutions will save $80 million to $85 million in annual operating costs, Bigby said. Up to $45 million of the savings will be used to pay community housing costs.

Although administration officials said they will work to find other jobs for the 1,596 employees at the four facilities that will be closed, workers unions blasted yesterday's announcement.

"We are deeply disappointed in the governor today," said Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. "The economic crisis we are experiencing requires some tough decisions, but this is clearly the wrong choice. We should not and cannot try to solve our financial problems on the backs of the people that need this critical care and the workers who provide it."

Senator Susan Fargo, a Democrat from Waltham and chairwoman of the Public Health Committee, called the decision "unfortunate and untimely."

"Christmas is only days away," she said. "This action will no doubt cause unrest and anger among many. The Fernald Center families have repeatedly praised the care given to their relatives, and they have taken positive steps to keep the facility open."

Patrick and his Republican predecessor, Mitt Romney, have sought for years to close Fernald and to transfer its residents to group homes.

A federal court judge ruled in August 2007 that residents had the right to stay, but Patrick appealed to the US Court of Appeals, which in October ruled in the state's favor.

Family members and advocates, who waged a lengthy court battle to improve conditions at Fernald in the 1970s, said yesterday that they were still considering a response and whether they will attempt to stop the closings.

"My sister doesn't have a long life ahead of her," said Marilyn Meagher, president of the Fernald League for the Retarded, an umbrella group for relatives and guardians of residents. "Why can't they just leave her alone? This whole thing is just right down to the dollar.

"I don't have any intention of making a quick judgment about where my sister is going," Meagher said.

"As far as I'm concerned, she only has one option. She's 54 years, and she has Alzheimer's. She's not moving from Fernald."

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.