Last month, Governor Bentley and Department of Mental Health Commissioner Baugh made the decision to close Partlow State School and Hospital in Tuscaloosa.  This is a great decision for all the citizens of Alabama.  It represents sound moral, legal and fiscal policy.  The expenses of over $271,000 per year per person (that is nearly seven family household incomes) for 151 people with disabilities is a gross injustice to them, to individuals with developmental disabilities with similar long term services needs who are receiving nothing today and to the taxpayers of our state and to the federal government that provides well over half of the funding needed to keep these people institutionalized.

The closure of Partlow places Alabama as the first state in the south to voluntarily close all of its institutions for individuals with developmental disabilities rather than being forced to do so under federal court orders as is the case right now for our neighbors in Georgia for violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We know from experience in our state and those states that are further ahead of us that All persons with developmental disabilities, regardless of medical or behavioral needs, can live and are living meaningful and included lives in the community with individually tailored services and supports to meet their personal needs; and, at a lot less cost than $271,000.  This is an issue of civil rights and social justice - and the time is now.

Dr. Gary Edwards
Chief Executive Officer