Transitioning People with Disabilities from Crowded, Congregate Facilities to Protect Them from COVID-19
Currently hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities continue to be housed in state-run or state-contracted institutions, or nursing homes, making them very vulnerable to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centers Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a 66-page toolkit to encourage and help states rebalance long-term care offerings for people with disabilities to favor home and community-based services over large institutions. We need federal and state authorities to act quickly on these guidelines to protect countless lives of people with disabilities
Community Options CEO Robert Stack sent a to letter calling on further action from CMS
He also sent a letter to states with the worst problems of warehousing people with disabilities in institutions or nursing homes, urging them to take action to quickly transition their residents out of these facilities. The letters went to NJ, NY, PA, SC, NC, TX and IL.
View more articles about how Community Options has supported deinstitutionalization here.
Letter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in SC
Robert Stack letter to SC.pdf December 14, 2020 Mary PooleState DirectorDepartment of Disabilities and Special NeedsS.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs3440 Harden Street ExtensionColumbia, SC 29203 Dear Director Poole,…
Read MoreLetter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in PA
Robert Stack letter to PA.pdf December 14, 2020 Honorable Teresa MillerSecretaryPennsylvania Department of Human Services625 Forster StHarrisburg, PA 17120 Dear Secretary Miller, As you are aware, the Centers for Medicare…
Read MoreLetter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in NY
Robert Stack letter to NY.pdf December 14, 2020 Honorable Dr. Theodore KastnerCommissionerOffice of People with Developmental Disabilities44 Holland Ave.Albany, NY 12229 Dear Commissioner Kastner, As you are aware, the Centers…
Read MoreLetter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in NJ
Robert Stack letter to NJ.pdf December 14, 2020 Honorable Carole JohnsonCommissionerNew Jersey Department of Human Services222 South Warren Street Trenton, NJ 08625 Dear Commissioner Johnson, As you are aware, the…
Read MoreLetter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in NC
Robert Stack letter to NC.pdf December 14, 2020 Honorable Dr. Mandy CohenSecretaryNC Department of Health and Human Services2001 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-2000 Dear Secretary Cohen, As you are aware,…
Read MoreLetter urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID in IL
Robert Stack letter to IL.pdf December 14, 2020 Honorable Grace B. HouSecretaryIllinois Department of Human Services100 South Grand Ave EastSpringfield, Illinois 62762 Dear Secretary Hou, As you are aware, the…
Read MoreLetter to CMS urging transitioning people with disabilities during COVID
Community Options_HELP Letter_2020.pdf December 14, 2020Seema VermaAdministrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services7500 Security BoulevardBaltimore, MD 21244 Dear Administrator Verma, In October, members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education,…
Read MoreA much-needed transition during the pandemic
December 1, 2020 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette online article During the last eight months, we have witnessed the deaths of so many people with disabilities as a result of COVID-19. The…
Read MoreCMS Action to Expand Community-based Options Cited as First Major Move in Decades Supporting People with Disabilities
November 30, 2020 | Press Release.pdf | insidernj.com Advocates Call for Acceleration of Effort Due to Disproportionate Mortality Rates of People with Developmental Disabilities due to the Pandemic PRINCETON, NJ…
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