Community Access Workgroup Questions

[Cheryl Felak]

Dear Advocates for People with Intellectual Disabilities,

The report from the Community Access Workgroup has been published.

Workgroup Recomendations

and 

Strengthening and Expanding Community Access

are available.  

As an advocate for a continuum of care there are some very good points that were raised by the participants. I have some major concerns though with some of the recommendations that came out of this group - these recommendations of concern were not part of the workgroup goals so it is confusing how they even were reported as recommendations.  I believe it is due to the work of The Arc members who are opposed to any form of congregate care.  

Personally, I believe it is great to have a platform and to advocate for that but it is also important to report honestly and as accurately as possible.  The Arc, which opposes any form of congregate care and therefore DOES NOT support a continuum of care, uses grossly inaccurate data as reported from DDD as the basis for some of their recommendations.  It would serve us all well to actually take a look at the actual cost information rather than the misleading information that DDD publishes to further the platform of The Arc.

You can see some of the misleading data with links to the accurate data here - If you desire more information regarding this, please let me know.  I have access to original documents from which the accurate data is clear.

  

At the top of my concerns are:

1.  How were the "volunteers" recruited?

2.  What data was used to come up with recommendations that were not even part of this workgroup's goals but which are published as their recommendation?

3.  The continued lack of accountability from DDD in using inaccurate and misleading data to base policy decision on.

Below are the members of this workgroup - I have cc'd those for whom I have email addresses for but if any of you know the other members, please forward this letter to them or inform me of their email so that I may contact them.  

David Budd

Jeff Bradt

Chris Brandt

Trish Borden

Tamara Burns

Sally Coomer

Representative Mary Lou Dickerson

Bill Gillespie

Mike Hatch

Darla Helt

Kristi Hunziker

John Mahaney

Carrie Morehouse

Joanne O'Neill

Thank you,

Cheryl Felak, RN, BSN

Because We Care - Beyond Inclusion

Seattle, WA

www.becausewecare1.com

If you want your email address removed from this list - please let me know.