Families promise a fight over Bellefontaine Habilitation Center
Sunday, February 13th, 2005.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt aims to shut down the Christian Northeast Hospital, a state facility which houses about 400 patients with severe behavioral and medical problems. Citing cost-savings and recent reports of abuse, the governer intends to move the residents to privately owned facilities. Families of those who have loved ones in the Hospital, many of whom have lived at the facility their entire lives, are fighting against the move. In addition to the trauma from moving to a new facility and change of staff, the families are concerned about the lack of oversight private care facilities have.
From the article:
Mary Vitale’s brother, Jim Diederich, 52, has lived at the center since he was 10 years old. She likened the news of Blunt’s plan to news she received 17 years ago, when she learned another brother was killed in a car crash.
“This is his home,” Vitale said. “I’m trying to save my brother’s life.”
She says that while she is sorrowful about the reports of abuse, she is deeply thankful for the caring staff that has nurtured her brother.
“I truly believe that this land where Bellefontaine Center sits is holy ground,” she said, “and the work that the staff does here is holy work.”
Private care is worse because it has no oversight, many parents say. A state audit in 2001 showed that allegations of abuse at privately operated homes for the mentally retarded often were covered up or ignored.
Mike Brophy said that private facilities would not care for his brother Tom because of the severity of his disability.
“They couldn’t make money off him,” he said.
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