with developmental disabilities as well as those with behavioral and emotional problems, is the only facility in the country where the electrical stimulation devices are known to be used.

In a 2014 FDA report, investigators said that former students reported burns, scars, muscle spasms, seizures and other issues from the skin shocks and said the experience left them “fearful” and “anxious.” The agency subsequently proposed a ban, but has failed to act further.

Now, with a notice in its fall agenda, the FDA is formally signaling its intention to issue final regulations by the end of 2019.

Continued

Under CMS' Settings Rule, it was determined that the group homes were not sufficiently integrated into "the community". Those who brought the action against Coolidge, and the residents of these homes, had probably expected the residents would want to move into HCBS waiver housing, closer to the nearest town (aka "the community").

The residents chose instead to move into the ICF, as this is their home. The people they know live there. The caregivers who love them work there. This is their community. Being forced to move away would have been isolating.

The residents who were moved have been fighting this for years. They have multiple disabilities, including but not limited to sever to profound intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, specialized medical needs and in some cases, demonstrated behavioral challenges. Most have attempted to live in integrated settings but were unsuccessful and moved back to the ATPC campus. To further understand the particulars:

Gender:

10 women live amount 3 group homes

 9 men live in 2 of the group homes

Ages:

11 are over 69 years old

 6 are over 55 years old

 2 are over 49 years old

Length of time on campus:

13 have lived at ATPC over 50 years

 3 have lived on ATPC campus over 40 years

 3 lived on ATPC campus over 30 years

These individuals receive a level of integration that is appropriate to their needs. They benefit from living in a group home while having access to emergency medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by Registered Nurses and professionals who personally know them and each one's special needs. These homes meet the client's needs in the least restrictive settings.

The strict application of the settings rule has not benefited these individuals. It has caused stress and displacement, cost families time and money and closed people out of their homes. It is time that our IDD systems cease their rigid adherence to poorly-considered ideologies and become flexible, efficient, and truly person-centered vehicles for providing high quality care to meet the needs of this diverse population.

“Half the children who ended up here toward the end at Laura Dester were children with these diagnoses and challenges,” said Ed Lake, DHS director. “Unfortunately on top of that, we had to place and still have to place a number of children out of state for a level of treatment that we just don’t have.”

Lake said the agency predicts more children with these challenges are likely to enter state custody, underscoring the importance of Laura Dester’s evolved use.

“I think studies have shown that about 30 to 50 percent of children and youths with intellectual disabilities also have co-occurring mental health disorders and challenging behaviors,” he said.

Continued

But labor leaders often counter that human services is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor and that the state often must treat individuals with the most challenging conditions or problems — simply because no one else will.

Deborah Schwartz, vice president and home care director for SEIU Healthcare 1199NE (known for many years as New England Healthcare Employees Union District 1199) said Connecticut needs to focus on greater investment in health care — across the board.

The union represents workers in both the public- and private-sector, she said, and “cuts to the public sector further increases fragmentation” of a health care system that already has undergone significant cutbacks.

Schwartz noted that more than 2,000 developmentally disabled citizens are “mired” on controversial state waiting lists for those in need of residential placements. Most on that list are middle-aged patients cared for most of their lives by parents who now are elderly.

That waiting list is approximately one-third longer than it was about 15 years ago.

Schwartz also said the Lamont administration could improve care for the disabled and others by imposing better training standards and worker pay. She noted that some social service workers qualify for welfare, food stamps, heating assistance and other government-sponsored benefits because their pay is so poor — a reference to the private, nonprofits’ social workers, who generally earn much less than their state-employed counterparts.

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