Aren’t developmental centers more expensive than other residential options?
Developmental centers provide the full range of professional care and services, all under one roof. In fact, a recent study found that large savings aren’t possible by transferring people from developmental center to other settings, as Medicaid funding simply follows the client. (Walsh, et al., "Cost Comparisons of Community and Institutional Residential Settings: Historical Review of Selected Research", Mental Retardation, Volume 41, Number 2: 103-122, April 2003 (Study Summary and 2009 Update).) The smaller savings that are achieved come through the elimination of vital round-the-clock professional staff and services. Cheaper does not mean better in the case of developmental services.
Aren’t clients better off in group homes or other places?
Some are, but not all. Some clients choose to live in other types of residential care and do well. Others don’t thrive: Many come to live at Lanterman and other developmental centers – or even left and returned – after other residential choices didn’t work out. It is very hard to become a resident of Lanterman these days – other options must be tried and exhausted first. More people should have the option to live at Lanterman and other developmental centers if they wish, without having to go through so many hurdles. The residential choice should always be up to clients and their families.
Why keep paying for these places when other state services are being cut?
All state services are important, but the closure of this facility would directly impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable Californians, who depend on Lanterman for all aspects of care.
Isn’t “institutionalization” a harmful, old-fashioned practice of keeping clients isolated away from everyone else?
Lanterman and other developmental centers are not isolated institutions that keep clients away from life in an outside community. They are part of the local community, and most importantly, they are the homes of the residents. Lanterman itself is a beautiful campus where clients live, work and enjoy themselves. They come and go throughout the day, and are familiar faces at surrounding businesses and community centers. As many family members and staff will tell you, clients’ schedules of jobs, trips and recreational activities around town are much busier than their own.
Are you against clients living anywhere else besides developmental centers?
No. We believe the choice of living arrangement should be up to clients and their families, whether that’s in a developmental center, group home or elsewhere. But we also have yet to see a home or facility that provides services equal to or better than those provided by state developmental centers.
How many developmental centers have closed recently?
Two California developmental centers – Agnews Developmental Center in San Jose, and Sierra Vista Developmental Center in Yuba City – closed just last year. Nationwide, 124 state developmental centers have closed since 1990.
