In the wake of the October 1 federal appeals court ruling that U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro lacked jurisdiction to order the Fernald Developmental Center to remain as an option for its current residents, the Patrick administration is pulling out all the stops to shutter the facility. Layoffs are being implemented with announcements of more on the way. A clinical unit at Fernald will be closed. Morale among the remaining staff is dropping rapidly. None of this might appear to be of pressing concern to anyone outside of the Fernald community. But it should be for one key reason. The administration is pushing ahead with Fernald's closure in the apparent absence of a plan for the care of all persons with mental retardation in the commonwealth. The Department of Mental Retardation provides services and supports to more than 30,000 people in Massachusetts. Roughly 9,000 people with mental retardation currently live in community-based residences in the state, according to departmental figures for Fiscal Year 2002 (the year of the department's most recent annual report on its Web site). Somewhat less than 1,000 people with mental retardation live in the state's six remaining large facilities for care, including Fernald. Major problems confront this large group of people, both in the community and in institutional settings. In the community system, services and supports are subject to little effective governmental oversight and ...
Anytime
