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Union criticizes State's decision to close two MR/DD Developmental Centers

Feb. 5, 2003 - Ohio's largest state employee union denounces today's announcement by the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to close the Applecreek and Springview Developmental Centers.

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association says it is the most severely mentally retarded who will be negatively impacted. Not only will these clients be uprooted from, for some, the only home they've known, but most of the clients also require intense, 24/7 care that ill-equipped community settings can not give.

"We will fight to convince the Legislature that that this closure is unwise," says OCSEA Operations Director Donald Conley. "The State cannot continue to fix the budget by diminishing care and services for Ohio's most vulnerable citizens."

Conley, also, says that if the Legislature fails to take action against the closures, then the union will have to work diligently with Department make the impact on the clients and members as minimal as possible.

Besides inadequate living conditions, OCSEA doubts that a cost savings will be realized by transferring services to the community. A recent independent study by Developmental Disabilities Health Alliance, Inc. shows that "large savings are not possible within the field of developmental disabilities by shifting from institutional to community placements."

"The Department says the closures are the 'result of severe budget deficits,'" said OCSEA Executive Dierctor Irwin Scharfeld, "but in all actuality, closing these Developmental Centers will result in trauma to the clients that outweighs any small savings."

The closure of these two institutions will add to the over 16,000 person waiting-list of individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities who are in dire need of residential care.

OCSEA represents over 300 employees in both facilities. Over 250 MR/DD clients reside in the two facilities.