A full report could document the progress of the former residents of the Jacksonville Developmental Center.
A bill, sponsored by State Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville), would require the state’s Department of Human Services to track and report on the progress of the former residents of the Jacksonville Developmental Center.
Vickie Kean, a Springfield-based advocate who favors the community model, said the only thing wrong with the bill is anything which would delay the shutdown of any developmental facility, such as the Murray Developmental Center in Centralia.
A woman who has two sisters at Murray, Monica Sobczak of Belleville, complained to a House committee that the Missouri company which is moving residents out took to Craigslist to ask for new caregivers for the people about to be moved out of Murray. A Department of Human Services official defended the ad, saying in 2013, Craigslist is no different from the classified section of the Chicago Tribune or any local newspaper.
That official, Kevin Casey, said only six to eight former Jacksonville Developmental Center residents are “struggling,” and out of more than 180 total, that’s “remarkable” to him.
H.B. 97 is in the House Human Services Committee.
