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State to close Broome Developmental Center


WolfMan

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Ouch. Did anyone see this coming? If there were inklings earlier, I do not recall them.

BINGHAMTON — The Broome Developmental Center — which has 692 full-time equivalent positions and serves 166 people — will close within the next three years.

The center, on Glenwood Road, is slated to close by March 31, 2016. Three other institutions — in Schenectady, Brooklyn and Queens — will close campuses by March 31, 2017.

The closures were announced late Friday afternoon by state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, catching state legislators and union representatives by surprise.

“It doesn’t make me happy, and it doesn’t make sense to me,” Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, said late Friday. “I think it’s going to be very difficult to execute.”

While advocates for people with developmental disabilities praised the announcement Friday, local elected officials and at least one state union voiced concerns about the center’s jobs. The state stressed that there will be no layoffs associated with the closing. The staff will be offered opportunities for reassignment in state-operated programs, the state said Friday.

“Everyone will end up with a job when this is over — if they want one,” said Tiffany Portzer, a state spokeswoman.

The state’s largest public employees union, the Civil Service Employees Association, is not convinced.

CSEA spokesman Stephen Madarasz said the state hasn’t followed through on its commitment of no layoffs in past consolidation or closure plans. Madarasz added that the CSEA, which represents a bulk of the workers who would be affected by this plan, doesn’t have much faith in the state agency keeping its promise this time around.

“They like to give the public the assurance,” Madarasz said.

The announcement is the latest in the state’s movement toward downsizing and closing institutions in favor of integrating people into the community. Earlier this month, the state Office of Mental Health unveiled a plan that would consolidate the state’s 24 psychiatric hospitals into 15 regional centers over three years. Inpatient services at the hospitals, including the Greater Binghamton Health Center, would close as early as July 10, 2014. The state does not expect any layoffs, as inpatient employees could be reassigned to community-based positions, shifted to one of the new regional centers or transferred to other state agencies.

 

 

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, learned of the planned closure of the Broome Developmental Center from news reports.

“I certainly would have appreciated some advance notice,” she said. “This announcement combined with the recent news about the closure of all inpatient services at GBHC is a double blow to the community. I will be calling for a full review of both of these decisions.”

Since Willowbrook State School closed in 1987, the state has closed 14 institutions. After the four centers are closed by the end of March 2017, New York will have just two institutions remaining — one in Tupper Lake and another in Norwich. To date, 13 other states have no institutions, while another 10 have one.

The state said the closures are consistent with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Olmstead Plan, which aims to fulfill the federal mandate that people with developmental disabilities receive services in the most integrated setting.

Advocates, including the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, the New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies and NYSARC Inc., praised the move Friday as an important step in giving people with developmental and other disabilities the opportunity to live in communities of their choice.

“Living in the community and being included are key to the success of the health and well-being of people with disabilities,” said Ann Hardiman, executive director of NYSACRA, in a statement.

The plan will take a few years to implement, giving the state time to move the 166 people served by the Broome Developmental Center into the community.

“It takes a while to move people into the right home,” Portzer said.

Representatives with the disabilities office said the reduction is done through an individual planning process, where each person’s needs and preferences are evaluated and a plan is developed for the provision of services in a community-based setting. The closure date set by the state is the time by which all people are anticipated to be successfully assisted in moving into the community.

Under the plan, the Oswald D. Heck Developmental Center in Schenectady would close by March 31, 2015; the Brooklyn Developmental Center by Dec. 31, 2015; and the Bernard M. Fineson Developmental Center in Queens by March 31, 2017.

 

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Guest The Devils Advocate

GBHC has provided services to Broome County individuals and families for the past 200+ years and ranks highly in the state for child and adolescent treatment services.

 

Broome County residents and families that utilize these essential mental health services need to join together and voice their concerns about this potential closure.

 

Please sign the petition to the New York State Assembly and Governor Andrew Cuomo,

 

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/join-the-fight-to-keep?source=mo&id=71775-9233946-mmgsPXx

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This is insanity however I am wondering if there is much more to this. We have the Greater Binghamton Health Center closing and now Broome Developmental. Cuomo has created a "new" economic zone at BU where not only the business but the employees will not pay taxes. Tied into this was the giving of a $400,000. grant to the Plastics pipe company along with multiple tax deals via the IDA. I have to scratch my head and wonder, why is Broome County being hit this way. Could this be part of a plant to degrade this area to the point we have to take fracking? Just a thought.

 

It disgusts me to see people in need being treated as cattle. Now there will be two groups in this area that will either have to travel out of town or not get the treatment they so need. Something is seriously wrong with this latest closing. Many at Broome Developmental need the care that they provide there and to put them in the community may do more harm than good. Furthermore, isn't there some violent sex offender types still up there?

 

I don't know if public outcry will do anything as I've learned there's so many deals cut behind closed doors around here the people and those in need don't matter anymore. You can't take those in need, throw pills at them at sunrise, kick them out the door and then wait for them to return at sunset. all unsupervised. These people need help and special care.

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What will happen to all the workers?

 

They will be providing even more competition for all of those who are applying for the numerous highly desirable Walmart, Dollar General, fast food and grocery store cashier jobs that are becoming the staple of our local economy.

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What a gutless, cruel thing to do to people, announcing this on a Friday evening. The Cuomo administration conveniently did this so that they would not have to face the music or answer questions.

 

Meanwhile hundreds of employees and their families and hundreds of mentally disabled people and their families are left to contemplate their future.

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What a gutless, cruel thing to do to people, announcing this on a Friday evening. The Cuomo administration conveniently did this so that they would not have to face the music or answer questions.

 

Meanwhile hundreds of employees and their families and hundreds of mentally disabled people and their families are left to contemplate their future.

 

Cruel and gutless would have been to wait until March 2016. You'll have nearly three years to ask all the questions you want. Stop being such a drama queen.

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The people who live there will have to live somewhere. They will move them to alternative living arrangements that will also need staffing as well as day programs and administrative/support services. It will take as many or more people to care for them in a community situation than it does in an institution.

 

I find it interesting that some of the private residential agencies support these closings. People who cause major problems in group home situations often ended up back at the Dev. Ctrs. In the future, there will be no where to send a failed placement back to.

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When they closed the psych center the patients were taken into these homes where they were supposedly taken care of by care givers, we had one nearby from what I could gather they were paid very well by the state to take care of these people, who were given their medication and cigarettes and allowed to walk about and when the home was destroyed they bought another one, the money was so good the care givers made a bundle, I have no idea how the patients faired?

 

I recently signed up on life lock and they send me alerts when a pedophile moves within a mile or so, I have no idea if the dangerous sex offenders will be put up in one of these homes or not, I have heard some countries chemically castrate these dangerous sex offenders or execute them.

 

All this will do is add to our diverse mix of screwballs we have to deal with, I wonder what a mix of heroin and Thorazine would do to our local drug users it couldn't be worse than face eaters on Bath Salts.

 

In the end we will prevail, hope and change and Moms apple pie.

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Cruel and gutless would have been to wait until March 2016. You'll have nearly three years to ask all the questions you want. Stop being such a drama queen.

 

Well then why Louie, did they announce this on a Friday Evening? Why didn't they do this on a Monday or Tuesday evening? Because of the reasons I wrote.

 

Tell me where it says that the changes won't be happening until March 31st, of 2016?

 

Are they going to drive a bus up there on March 31st, 2016 and haul everyone away?

 

I will be waiting for your answer.

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They will be providing even more competition for all of those who are applying for the numerous highly desirable Walmart, Dollar General, fast food and grocery store cashier jobs that are becoming the staple of our local economy.

Maybe if you got an education, you would not be standing in line looking for a job.

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When they closed the psych center the patients were taken into these homes where they were supposedly taken care of by care givers, we had one nearby from what I could gather they were paid very well by the state to take care of these people, who were given their medication and cigarettes and allowed to walk about and when the home was destroyed they bought another one, the money was so good the care givers made a bundle, I have no idea how the patients faired?

 

I recently signed up on life lock and they send me alerts when a pedophile moves within a mile or so, I have no idea if the dangerous sex offenders will be put up in one of these homes or not, I have heard some countries chemically castrate these dangerous sex offenders or execute them.

 

All this will do is add to our diverse mix of screwballs we have to deal with, I wonder what a mix of heroin and Thorazine would do to our local drug users it couldn't be worse than face eaters on Bath Salts.

 

In the end we will prevail, hope and change and Moms apple pie.

The care givers do not pay income tax on the money they receive.

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Guest The Devils Advocate

I would tell you what a complete moron you are Petey but that has been explained to you on numerous occasions.

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The care givers do not pay income tax on the money they receive.

 

Since PM has me blocked, he won't see me respond to the above comment.

 

State and County workers don't pay income taxes?

Really?

 

Wet brain is an ugly affliction.

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Family care providers are independent contractors, not state employees. Some money received by those providers is considered reimbursement, therefore, not subject to income tax. Money paid for care and services provided is taxable. Employees of NYS owned community residences are state employees. They are paid a salary, pay taxes and receive benefits like the employees of the developmental center.

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Well then why Louie, did they announce this on a Friday Evening? Why didn't they do this on a Monday or Tuesday evening? Because of the reasons I wrote.

 

Tell me where it says that the changes won't be happening until March 31st, of 2016?

 

Are they going to drive a bus up there on March 31st, 2016 and haul everyone away?

 

I will be waiting for your answer.

 

You must be a patient at the Broome Developmental Center.

 

When there is bad news for employees, it is almost always given on a Friday to let cooler heads prevail come Monday. This is standard business operating procedure...you seriously can't understand why this is done?

 

Also, like I said, the "shutdown date" is nearly three years away. I assume there will a gradual wind down, but to imply that it is "cruel" to announce this on a Friday isn't really seeing the big picture. Those who don't want to change their jobs/relocate have been given plenty of notice to seek employment elsewhere. The way the government typically operates, I bet the place stays open as long as possible and even has its closure date extended.

 

My guess is either you or your boyfriend is employed at the place. Why else would you care? Based on some of your previous posts, you strike me as the kind of person who would say "screw the CSEA...chain the doors shut tomorrow!"...especially considering the move was praised by advocates of the mentally disabled.

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You are a RETARD!!!!

Are you sick or something?

I know a guy who takes care of "clients" in his home. He told me the money he receives does not have to be reported as income.

 

Read what I wrote. I was responding to Madned and his post regarding the care givers who take people into their homes.

 

For the love of God, what is wrong with you? I stated a fact. Are you another whack job?

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