Saturday, July 13

Five criteria used to
evaluate closure of LDC

[JULY 13, 2002]  Thousands of people need you to pick up a pen and paper and write. They need you to present or send a letter on behalf of LDC residents and their families, LDC employees and their families, and your community. The undesired moving of these residents will have broad, devastating, lasting effects on the entire area.

Family members of residents cite issues that range from accessibility to experiences with the facility being the only place that has been able to manage their loved one. Many families have established themselves in the area in order to have frequent visitation. Some, particularly the elderly, will have difficulty traveling to visit their loved ones. Others fear that their family member’s quality of life will revert to what it was before coming to Lincoln. The forced move of residents to distant, different facilities will create undue hardship and chaos in the lives of the residents and all those who love and care for them. Their lives are being turned upside down solely by the will of the state.

At the request of Lincoln Mayor Beth Davis, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board is hosting a public hearing this Monday at 9 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 217 N. Limit St. Official representatives of the planning board will be present with a court reporter to record and collect documentation of reasons to close the Lincoln Developmental Center.

There are 192 residents who still call LDC home.

 

Your message needs to be loud and clear why the state should NOT close this facility. The board will evaluate and make its decision based on five factors. Keep your letter short and succinct. Address the factors that you can validate in the set criteria.

Monday is not the last opportunity for you to respond. The board has not set the exact last possible date that you can write, but you can mail your letter up to Aug. 1, two weeks before the Aug. 15 meeting of the IHFPB. The board is expected to review all evidences, including correspondence, and make a decision at that time on closing the facility.

 

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Review and respond to the following criteria:

•  First, that the reasons for the discontinuation are valid.

•  Second, that the discontinuation will not adversely affect services needed by the planning area.

•  Third, that the discontinuation project will not have an adverse effect on the health delivery system by creating demand for services that cannot be met by existing area facilities.

•  Fourth, that the discontinuation project must be in the public interest and not cause area residents unnecessary hardship by limiting access to needed services. It must consider the effect of the proposed discontinuation on the ability of low-income people, racial and ethnic minorities, women, handicapped people, the elderly and other under-served groups to obtain needed health care.

•  Fifth, that the applicant must state the use to which the physical plant and equipment will be put once discontinuation takes place.

Get out a sheet of paper and write your letter and bring it to the hearing Monday or mail it today. Do it for the LDC residents and their families. Do it for the employees and their families. Do it for your community. This may be the most important letter you will ever write on behalf of your community.

The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board (IHFPB) needs to hear from you; write now!

Send letters to:

Patricia M. Sweitzer

State of Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board

Executive Secretary

Note: Response to LDC closure

525 W. Jefferson St.

Springfield, IL 62761

[Jan Youngquist]

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