ATLANTA -- The state Department of Human Resources has canceled its proposal for consolidating mental hospitals and closing the seven regional hospitals -- including those in Savannah, Rome and Augusta, and is rethinking its strategy.
BJ Walker, the commissioner, announced this morning that her department scrapped its request for proposal two days ago because the only bidder failed to meet the technical requirements. She says they’ll come up with a new plan that allows the vendors more flexibility.
President Obama has come through for us again. Thanks are in order.
I seriously doubt that President Obama even knows that State hospitals exist -
I think it is irresponsible of State officials to announce so called plans that dissolve into thin air - thank goodness - but it certainly does not help the people that would have been directly involved in that idiotic plan. There is enough misery in this country - don't add on to it please!
For a time BJ Walker was temporary administrator at Gracewood (he took over after Dr Jackson was terminated). Walker must have read the posts and/or received a lot of negative mail about his decision. Walker is not well known for thinking things through--he usually puts the cart before the horse which makes his decisions rather poor in content and substance. As for "thanking Obama," what's that fool got to do with any of this? The big O could care less about what goes on in GA or any other state for that matter. He has his mind on bigger things, like himself!
Now the idioit has a name - - - thanks - mable8!!!And
Obama has his hands full with all the tax evading appointments - wonder what the rest of his term will bring.
There is no justification to keep Gracewood open. That place is a dinosaur from the 1930s.
How fortuante for you, HillGuy, that you did not have a child who was in need of this specialized care. Gracewood was a self-contained institution until the church people got involved and thought it was simply awful that those residents who were able could work in the gardens. They grew their own food, had their own dairy and beef cattle, made saleable crafts for the local fairs, and did many positive things with the support of the community. The really hard, manual labor was provided by inmates from minimum security and paid workers. This was changed in the 70s when funds were cut and the working part of the institution was sold out from under them; its been a downhill slide since. Gracewood is not a dinosaur from the past; it is still a very much needed institution. Today's residents are those who need continuous care and supervision; they cannot survive in foster care or in community homes. Some of the more mobile residents can be dangerous to self and others. You should take the time and learn about the history of Gracewood before you make foolish remarks.
I agree, mable8, we should get our facts straight - you've incorrectly identified BJ Walker as a male (she is a woman) and you've incorrectly identified her as the former administrator of Gracewood. The "Walker" you are referring to that briefly ran Gracewood is not the same "Walker" that now runs DHR.
Please visit the DHR website and see for yourself (http://www.dhr.state.ga.us)...scroll half way down the page...does the picture of DHR's commissioner look like a man to you? I can see where your confusion may come from - both "Walkers" have the same first initial 'B' - but I assure you they are very different people.
This is the first common sense decision in a long time.
I believe that accusing the church as responsible for closing the farm operations is a bit confusing to me. There are many who worked there that I know that told me that the government making the residents that worked the farm to come under the wage and hour law is what closed the farm down.
Why is it always the fault of church members for everything going wrong?
Well Old Man, since the Inquisitions of the previous Centuries, the churches have had a bad rep. And Fallwell(notice the pun spelling), Haggard(is that what they call them now?), Bakker(who's at it again), The SCLC and a host of "others" hasn't done much to improve it. But they have stopped burning people at the stake, so there is hope for them yet.
I am glad that they are not closing any of the mental hospitals.
E2432, you are an idiot! Think before you make ignorant posts. What does Obama have to do with GA state govt?
Obama got elected due to the massive ignorance and stupidty in this country. The masses for the most part don't have the intelligence to think for themselves, and they are too easily persuaded.
Walker does know the big O as they are both from Chicago and she contributed to his campaign. He will disassociate from her when he realizes she does business like the Governor of Illinois only she is using the state of Ga money for our most fragile citizens to do it with. He will not want dirtied by her dealings. jb1
Obama got elected because we refused to make the same mistake that our parents made in 1988 by electing another extremist (Bush 41) after one extremist's (Ronald Reagan's) White House reign ended. Only the ignorant fools voted for McCain.
The residents of Gracewood would be much better off in community settings closer to home then in a big sanitarium straight out of a Faulkner novel. My uncle worked at Gracewood for many years.... wayyyy back in the early days. Granted there are some profoundly retarded patients that need constant care... but they do not need to be put in a hulking institution like Gracewood. Do you know what the staff to patient ratio is... like 4 to 1. The state could provide home nursing care for cheaper than what it costs to run Gracewood, and then these patients could live at home instead of being institutionalized. The vast majority of the residents would be better served in group homes and other community setting. The only reason Gracewood has stayed open so long is because of political patronage. Lawmakers who pulled the right strings could always get their friends or relatives a job at Gracewood.. it's worked that way for for years.
HillGuy, Gracewood is needed because there is no community based care for it's patients. Some need 24hr care, beyond what is given in nursing homes. The nursing care ratio should give you a clue exactly why they aren't in personal care homes in the first place. Unlike Mable8 said, the residents there who actually need to be there (compared to the school and ambulatory patients that can indeed be treated elsewhere), are in no shape for any work AS THEY'RE BEDRIDDEN. Gracewood is a MR hospital where kids/adults with serious birth defects the State takes care of -- 60+ years ago none would've survived. We're talking less than an of IQ 50, and need help to even eat, let alone use the bathroom. Gracewood is needed as a means for such patients to get specific and dedicated care in one facility that's not available in the community (and won't be due to the expense). A generic personal home will not be attuned to the needs of this population (they're more intuned with working with ambulatory and the elderly, not those in worse shape than Dementia patients). If Neandertals took care of their own, Homo sapiens have zero excuse not to care for it's most vulnerable -- why we're HUMANE.
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