TRENTON — The state Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill today that would require the state to assess the well-being and safety of disabled residents who are transferred from two state institutions the Christie administration plans to phase out by January 2015.
The North Jersey Developmental Center in Totowa is expected to close in July, and the Woodbridge Developmental Center is slated to close in January 2015, in keeping with Christie's intention to move away from the state's overreliance on large institutions for people with intellectual disabilities.
Transfers began in August 2012, after a task force selected these two centers to close. As of January, 229 people lived at Woodbridge, a decline of 33 percent, and 186 people lived at North Jersey, a 50 percent drop, according to the state Department of Human Services.
With many families objecting to the facilities closing, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) said she sponsored the bill to find out if people are adjusting to their new homes.
“I have been to all seven of our state's centers and I have met with the residents and their families,” Huttle said. “In most cases, state developmental centers are providing outstanding service and support in caring for our most profoundly developmentally disabled citizens. The best way to ensure our health centers continue to provide the best care is by speaking to former residents and evaluating their exit or transition process back into the community.”
The bill (A1098), would require the state conduct an assessment or hire an outside firm to follow-up with displaced developmental center residents within six months of their move. The findings would be provided in a report to the legislature and governor within a year.
Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen, Passaic), another sponsor, said the study was essential to "help us to understand what is going right and what changes need to be made in order to ensure quality care for the residents in these communities. The individuals who are able to and wish to move out of the centers must be monitored throughout the transition process to make sure there are no negative changes in care."
The bill passed by a 75-0 vote.
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