Boston 25 News reports on Healey administration’s denial of adequate care to severely disabled woman
Noting the state’s ongoing failure to provide adequate care to a person with an intellectual disability, Boston 25 News is reporting that the Healey administration has continued to deny the admission of Kristen Robinson to the Wrentham Developmental Center.
The television news station’s “25 Investigates” team interviewed Kristen’s sisters, Kim Meehan and Karen Brady, who said Kristen has been inappropriately confined for nearly two months in Faulkner Hospital in Boston.
Boston 25‘s report is a rare instance in which the media has reported on the difficulty many families are having in getting adequate care in the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) system, and in selecting state-run services, in particular.
DDS is refusing in most cases to allow admissions to either Wrentham or the Hogan Regional Center as alternatives to the state’s network of corporate, provider-run group homes for residential care. As Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs), Wrentham and Hogan must meet strict federal standards for care and treatment.
As Kim stated in the Boston 25 report, DDS has responded with “a hard ‘no'” to the family’s request that Kristen be admitted to Wrentham.
As we reported last month, after initially promising on May 10 that she would admit Kristen for evaluation and rehabilitation to Wrentham’s May Center medical unit, DDS Commissioner Jane Ryder reneged on that promise just a few days later. This was despite the fact that Kristen is profoundly intellectually disabled, legally blind, and quadriplegic, and has seizure disorder and severe dysphagia, a medical condition that causes an inability to swallow.
DDS maintains it places individuals in the “least restrictive” settings, but the Department has been unable to find either a group home or a nursing home that can meet Kristen’s needs.
“Our sister deserves more than sitting in a hospital with sores on her arms from sitting in a wheelchair all day,” Kim told 25 Investigates. “She’s suffering.”
“She has no stimulation, hasn’t been with her day program, hasn’t seen her friends.” Karen added.
Kim maintained that at Wrentham, Kristen “would be safe. But DDS has given us a hard ‘no.'”
DDS told 25 Investigates that the Department is “guided by state and federal laws for least restrictive placements to move away from institutional care.” However, COFAR maintains that federal law actually requires that ICFs be offered as a choice to all persons whose intellectual disability makes them eligible for care under the Medicaid Home and Community-based Services (HCBS) waiver program.
We urge people to leave comments on the Boston 25 article, which is linked above.
Thank you.
COFAR blog 
Thanks, Dave. I’m sure your efforts contributed to Bost
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I think that it is important to note that this story has been picked up by MSN. See 25 Investigates: Walpole family says MA red tape keeping their sister from getting care she needs (msn.com)
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excellent feature…clear detail of the situation, leaves DDS looking uncaring and deficient
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Leaves DDS looking like they are clearly in violation of the law. Where is it in the law that it says persons are to be placed in “least restrictive” settings? The statement they made that they comply with the law is false. If DDS was complying with the law, this person would not be in need of services!!!
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It is the choice of the guardian(s) of where they want their loved one to go. DDS IS UNCARING, they want these places shut down, it’s all about the money and using it for their agenda. There are many people who can’t live in a shared living environment or a group home, this is what these ICF’s are for. They are so corrupt as everything else is in this state.
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