Monday, March 1, 2010

New York Ordered to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act

An anonymous reader--or perhaps one whose e-mail address I should recognize--sent this link from The New York Times about a federal judge ordering the State of New York to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and seemingly though not mentioned, the Olmstead decision by building 4,500 units of supportive housing over the next three years to move adult mental health consumers out of "warehouse-like" adult homes in New York City.
"The judge said that only people with the most severe mental illness, including those deemed a danger to themselves or others, should be housed in adult homes. He also said that residents who were eligible for supportive housing may choose to stay in adult homes as long as they have been apprised of their options."
The article goes on to say that the judge has ordered the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee the process of making supportive housing available and transitioning consumers into it.
More stories like this are sure to lend credence to The Baldwin Bulletin headlines that say President Barack Obama's administration is advocating for adult mental health services to be administered in the community setting, in accordance with Olmstead, and not in the institutional setting.
But now there is a measuring stick with which we can compare what is yet to come in the State of Georgia's struggles to retain control over its mental health system.

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