Orange Grove Families Hear About New Government Rules
A community meeting Tuesday has cleared up some of the questions
ANTOINETTE JACKSON, CHRYSTAL’S MOM "Well, the letter actually said they might have to eliminate facility-based services, which is what Chrystal does..facility-based, goes to the day program everyday and comes home. I was very concerned."
Antoinette Jackson’s daughter Chrystal is blind and mentally handicapped. Like other parents and families of Orange Grove clients she got a letter asking her to attend a meeting Tuesday night to talk about new requirements for the facility.
KYLE HAUTH "I think some people felt as though when we started talking about a significant shift of services from primarily a facility-based to a community-base…that they felt that could mean the end of services …and that is certainly not the case."
The new Medicare/Medicaid rules say the facility must allow people who participate in the services to have interaction with people without disabilities or inclusion in the community. And that the program admit people who are not handicapped.
The director says that will now happen.
KYLE HAUTH "We will just need to continue to try to arrange those services in such a way as to meet the expectations of the state and federal governments."
Antoinette’s twin sister is a caregiver for Chrystal.
BERNADETTE HARTMAN, CHRYSTAL’S CAREGIVER "That letter says that..in two places..that they want to eliminate day facilities….that was basically said that’s not going to happen."
KYLE HAUTH "What we’re hoping to be able to do is of course bring more people from the community to this campus..so this campus is not seen as a place where people with intellectual disabilities receive training and care."
ANTOINETTE JACKSON "I think that’s a great thing. People don’t know how wonderful Orange Grove is. I think that’s a good thing.
The new rules went into effect in March of last year.
Orange Grove has until March of 2019 to comply with them.
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