Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt & Mental Health Director Unveil Community Partnership Plan to Keep Bellefontaine Open
ST. LOUIS –Gov. Matt Blunt and Department of Mental Health Director Keith Schafer today unveiled a community partnership plan to improve safety, care and quality of life for the residents of Bellefontaine Habilitation Center that will allow the facility to remain open.
"I am pleased that at my request Mental Health Director Keith Schafer and his team were able to produce a plan to allow Bellefontaine to remain open while ensuring residents receive the level of safety and care they deserve," Gov. Blunt said. "I believe that our new plan addresses my original and continuing concern for resident safety and that it will allow Bellefontaine to provide a safe and nurturing environment for those entrusted to the state's care."
Blunt has directed Schafer and Bernie Simons, the Director of the Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, to spend time at the Bellefontaine campus this week to discuss the new plan with parents and their representatives as well as staff and employees.
"It is important and the department is strongly committed to getting input from families, staff and advocates on our plan for Bellefontaine Habilitation Center," said Director Schafer. "That process begins today."
Today Blunt and Schafer unveiled the new plan to improve the quality of life and care at Bellefontaine Habilitation Center. The plan:
- Provides a new state-of-the-art 120-bed residential program for the developmentally disabled on the current Bellefontaine campus;
- Provides a new high-quality State Habilitation Center Program on the campus to serve 24 Bellefontaine residents with the most severe developmental, medical and behavioral conditions;
- Provides top-quality day programming for the 144 Bellefontaine residents served by the care program provider in partnership with the state;
- Creates a new 12-bed acute developmental disability crisis stabilization unit on the campus to serve the entire St. Louis community. The state-operated program will include clinicians skilled in serving individuals with co-occurring developmental, medical, and psychiatric conditions;
- Includes St. Louis area community placement for 28 Bellefontaine residents already in process. They will receive the necessary funding to move to a community placement and will get the support to make the successful transition to their chosen program.
Since taking office the governor has worked to improve mental health services in Missouri. He formed the Mental Health Task Force to propose long term solutions to prevent abuse and neglect in the mental health system. He tasked the group and his agencies to work together to ensure those who mistreat the vulnerable are held accountable for their actions.
Blunt’s executive order implementing several of his task force recommendations required a new level of protection and oversight that draws on a variety of state agencies’ expertise, called for the Department of Mental Health to implement a new system to quickly and effectively track critical information on abuse and neglect, and provided parents and guardians new tools to identify and report suspect abuse or neglect.
The governor also created the Mental Health Transformation Working Group to develop and implement a comprehensive and cooperative state mental health plan.
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