Group hires Jeff City lobbyist to fight hab center closing
By Steve Moyer
Nevada Daily Mail
The support group for individuals receiving care at the Nevada Habilitation Center have hired Jefferson City lobbyist Jerry Ford to represent them.
"We need to have someone that will put our concerns first," said Natalie Woods, whose sister lives at the Nevada Habilitation Center.
The group met Saturday in the multi-purpose room of Vernon Hall to discuss options for dealing with the proposed closing of Benton Hall on the Nevada Habilitation Center campus.
Ford told the group that one of the obstacles they faced was a "lack of political pull" and that without political influence the Nevada Habilitation Center was the prime candidate for closing if it was decided to close one.
"If there is a hab center closed it will most likely be Nevada -- and there are several reasons for that," Ford said. "The parents group is fairly small, you are located in a remote part of the state and you lack political pull."
Ford noted that by joining with other groups the Nevada group would be strengthened.
"You get an organization already in place that can help you influence state legislators," he said.
Ford said moving the individuals out of the hab center wouldn't save the state money but would merely change where the money went.
"The community providers would love to have the business," he said. "The department has already said that moving people out won't save the state money, it will just go to private industry."
Woods pointed out the primary concern of most of the family and guardians of the individuals living at the hab center was more about the quality of care those individuals would receive.
"We're not concerned as much about what building the people are in as we are with what staff is taking care of them," Ford said.
George Mell, whose son resides at Vernon Hall, told of the quality of the staff at some of the facilities his son had been at.
"At one of the group homes he was at the staff would just watch television. They didn't pay any attention to what was happening around them," Mell said. "The people they were supposed to be watching could do anything that didn't bother the staff and they were ignored. At one place he was sexually abused by another client. The care he has been given here is just wonderful. I don't want him to ever leave."
Woods told the group that one of the things that bothered her was a decision by Anne Deaton, Department of Mental Health director, to close Benton Hall before the building could be evaluated by the state's Division of Facilities Management.
"There is a report due out in October and Anne Deaton has already made her decision about Benton Hall," Woods said. "Where do these figures come from where she says it will cost $4 million to fix up Benton Hall? If they haven't even surveyed the building, how do they know how much it's going to cost?"
Another problem the group had with Deaton was the assurance Deaton gave the group that if they didn't give permission the clients would stay at the Nevada Habilitation Center.
"She has said you have a choice, if you don't want your loved one moved, don't allow it. But she has already made the decision to close Benton Hall," Woods said.
Woods noted that many of the clients in Benton Hall were in need of assistance to move about and that Vernon Hall only had one living area on the ground floor.
"A lot of these people are in wheelchairs, some have feeding tubes, and some of them just need help to walk. You can't put people like that on upper floors," she said.
Bill Edmonds, Nevada Habilitation Center superintendent, said that the only buildings on the campus that could house clients were Vernon and Benton halls.
"We're in a little different position than Bellefontaine and Marshall, they have empty buildings on their campuses that they could move clients into -- we don't," Edmonds said. "All we have here are Benton and Vernon Hall, and they are both full."
City Manager Craig Hubler told the group he understood their concerns, having a close relative that needed care.
"You've listened to the reasons for closing Benton Hall, but a large part of it is the people making the decisions don't understand the profound need of the people served by the hab center and the level of care needed by them," Hubler said.
Hubler promised the city's assistance, noting that the hab center was an important area employer.
"The city can partner with you in talking with Mr. Ford because this is one of the largest employers and we want to be involved in helping solve this problem," he said.
Hubler noted that the state received federal money for taking care of clients in the hab center and the cost to the state of providing care there was only $27 a day.
"If the state wants to spend money in a really silly way, I guess we can help them, but what we would rather do is to help you keep your loved ones where you prefer," Hubler said.
Hubler said that the state was offering an incentive to get community-based providers to take in individuals from the hab center and encouraged the group to educate themselves about the issues.
"You need to learn about these issues so you can contact your state legislature about the decision to spend $212 a day instead of $27," he said.
Before closing the meeting Woods handed out brochures that listed state officials.
"It's very important to contact the legislature," she said. "The best officials to get in touch with are those from your district, they are the ones most likely to respond."