One by one, relatives of those living in the Woodbridge Developmental Center and the North Jersey Developmental Center came to the microphone to share their loved ones’ stories.
Their goal: To convince state officials that closing the facilities would be detrimental to the lives of the state’s most vulnerable residents. They spoke during a joint hearing of the the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and Assembly Human Services Committee in Montclair on Feb. 13.
Emotions ran high and many in the packed room shed tears during the five-hour hearing. The legislators heard the stories of people like Jackie, Rosemary and Richard, as told by their family members.
“I am Sam Friedman and I am the coguardian of my sister Jackie, who has lived at the NJDC [New Jersey Developmental Center, Totowa] 47 out of the 48 years of her life,” he said. “Jackie was born with two strikes against her — Down syndrome and severe brain injury.”
The closing of the NJDC, he said, would be a third strike against his sister, who he said receives around-the-clock, loving care at the facility.
“She will lose those who have fallen for her including her foster grandmother,” he said. “I have a commute to Queens [for work] and have a family, and I visit my sister as much as I can. I often visit to feed her chocolate, since Jackie got the family’s sweet tooth.”
Moving his sister to a facility in South Jersey, he said, would be unfair.
“I simply will not be able to get there [for her], even when there’s a medical crisis,” he said.
The legislators heard the story of Rosemary, who is 57 and has lived at the Woodbridge Developmental Center (WDC), Rahway Avenue, for the past 38 years. She is classified as profoundly intellectually disabled and has a mental age of a 3-monthold. Her sister, Joanne St. Amand, a resident of Cranford and president of the WDC Parents Association, has been a vocal advocate for keeping the WDC open. She and others have gone from town to town in Middlesex County, asking governing bodies to pass resolutions against the facility closures.
Metuchen was one such town.
There is also the story of Richard, who has lived at the WDC for 45 years. His brother Kevin Tremble, of Tenafly, called on the state to find another solution. He called the current proposal “outrageous, egregious and abusive.”
Friedman, St. Amand, and Tremble were just some of many loved ones, politicians and employees of the centers who made their voices heard in front of 10 members of legislative committees.
Those who attended were told that, due to previous scheduled commitments, officials from the state Department of Human Services could not attend the hearing. Lawmakers at the hearing included Assembly Human Services Committee Chairwoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee Chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) and state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), among others.
A bill is planned to be introduced in the state Senate and Assembly this week that would reverse the binding aspect of a recommendation made by the state Task Force on the Closure of State Developmental Centers last August. The task force evaluated New Jersey’s seven developmental centers before recommending that the New Jersey Department of Human Services close the NJDC and WDC over the next five years.
The state, according to the report, operates more developmental centers than is necessary to support a declining population of individuals with developmental disabilities, which has decreased by approximately 1,200 individuals, or 33 percent, since 1998.
The goal of the state is to reduce the reliance on institutional care while expanding community living options, which is a state effort to comply with a Supreme Court decision. The ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. requires states to provide community living options and other supports to individuals with developmental disabilities who do not require or want institutionalized care. This, they said, would continue New Jersey’s commitment to providing individuals with developmental disabilities the ability to live in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.
Vitale said he found the state’s report to be incomplete, and that the testimony at the hearing only solidified his belief that the closures would be detrimental and create hardships for those involved.
“I have visited the Woodbridge Developmental Center in my hometown,” he said. “This is their home. They are residents of Woodbridge Township. They are my friends and they are my neighbors.”
The WDC houses 330 residents. The center was established in 1965 as a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities. It encompasses a total of 25 buildings, including 18 residential cottages and a health-services center, on a 68-acre campus.
The NJDC, which houses 388 residents, opened in February 1928 and provides habilitation, medical and psychological services for individuals with developmental disabilities. It is located on a 188-acre tract and is the state’s northernmost residential developmental center.
During the hearing, the legislators also heard from representatives of nonprofit agencies that run community programs. Speaking in favor of the closures, they noted that community programs currently in place have been successful.
“I’m not saying that I agree that the centers should be closed today,” said Daniel Keating, executive director of the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities. “I believe over the course of five to 10 years, we can safely, with the right support, transition those living in the centers to the community.”