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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.
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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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this article]
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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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