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Coalition Calls For Governor To Close Another Troubled Institution
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
February 16, 2007

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS--A coalition of Illinois disability groups has written a letter to Governor Rod Blagojevich, calling for him to stop any new admissions to the Howe Developmental Center, and begin the process of closing the institution, which houses about 400 people with developmental disabilities.

The Arc of Illinois, United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois, the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Equip for Equality, the state's federally mandated protection and advocacy system, sent the letter to the governor last week, following an investigation into the deaths of 8 residents at the facility since September 2005.

Equip for Equality's Abuse Investigation Unit examined records of those who died and found that HDC staff failed to, among other things, respond to complaints of pain; ensure residents had enough to eat and drink; monitor vital signs; implement doctors' orders; adequately address self-injurious behavior; and initiate CPR promptly.

The letter to Blagojevich detailed the deaths of just two residents. One was a man who had been sitting in his wheelchair for nearly five straight hours before staff noticed that he was not breathing. It was later determined that he had been dead "for several hours during dinner and the early evening while in the presence of staff and other residents."

In another case, a man with epilepsy had been having loose stools for several hours, but nursing staff failed to closely monitor his condition for the next 12 hours. The nurse then took his vital signs and recorded that the man's vitals were normal. Just 20 minutes later, a doctor found that the man had a temperature of nearly 104, his blood pressure was falling, his abdomen was distended and he exhibited signs of severe dehydration. He died a short time later at a local hospital

The unit reviewed records from a sample of 39 other individuals at HDC and found "all revealed evidence of the same kind of substandard care that the individuals who died received at Howe prior to their deaths."

Similar problems led former governor George Ryan to close Lincoln Developmental Center in 2002 and move most of its residents to homes in the community.

"People with developmental disabilities in yet another state-run institution are at serious risk of injuries and death," said Zena Naiditch, President and CEO of Equip for Equality, in a joint press statement. "It's time for Illinois to build a quality community based system of services and stop warehousing people in outmoded institutions."

Tony Paulauski, Executive Director of The Arc of Illinois, said: "Quite frankly, there's no need for any state institutions in Illinois. We are appalled by these deaths in institutions, which should never be tolerated."

Blagojevich promised during his election campaign to reopen LDC to improve employment rates in the area. A cluster of four 10-bed facilities, that he ordered built on the LDC grounds, remains empty because of a lack of operating funds.

Related:
"Statewide Disability Organizations Call for Closure of Substandard Facility for People with Disabilities"

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070215/cgth079.html
"Lincoln Developmental Center -- Illinois Governor Strives To Return To The Past" (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/il/ldc.htm

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