A 1999 report by the Bureau of State Audits found that budget cuts and insufficient funding undermine community centers. State and federal government's. Staff Writer Michelle Marcucci of ANG Newspapers found staff at community centers is often untrained, underpaid and unqualified to care for people who are mentally retarded, autistic or live with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Drugs are used to control behavior. For medical help they rely on 911.
Residential centers offer an array of services, trained staff and regular access to medical care.
The quality of care is reflected in the fact that for many residents it operates as a safety net when prior services fail. It succeeds where other programs don't. There also is a philosophical debate over whether such patients are better off being part of the community. That depends on the conditions of individuals, which vary widely. The state's haste to close residential institutions and channel the developmentally disabled into community centers smacks of the blunder made when we shuttered mental health institutions.