Ed's Newsletter - THE ISC NOFO, CHOATE, MABLEY (plus THE INBOX)

McMANUS CONSULTING

DISABILITY SERVICES

847.256.0456, [email protected], Facebook, LinkedIn

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Ed’s Newsletter

No. 324 – Aug. 31, 2023

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STOP THE ISC NOFO! . . .

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4 weeks ago, 175 parents sent an open letter to Gov. Pritzker, urging his administration to cancel plans for another competitive NOFO for the ISCs.? In the meantime, the Division has held feedback sessions with families and providers but has made no further announcement.

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It is urgent that the NOFO be called off.? Otherwise, YOUR service coordination agency may have to shut down!? That’s what happened in 2019, when 3 longtime ISCs were forced out of business.

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Please contact the Governor and your state senator and rep TODAY!? https://gov.illinois.gov/contact-us/assistance-request.html

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CHOATE DIRECTOR DAVIS IS FINALLY LEAVING . . .

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Stephany Hoehner took over as the new director of Choate Developmental Center Aug. 16, FINALLY replacing Bryant Davis.

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Hoehner joined the Choate staff in March as a project manager after working 12 years for Southern IL Healthcare.? Davis is staying on until mid-September for transition purposes.

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We don’t know what happened with Davis.? DHS won’t say.? Was he fired?? Did he quit?? Will he be transferred?

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Davis’ 2 top assistants, Teresa Smith and Gary Goins, are still on the job.? All 3 were indicted in 2021 for official misconduct, but the charges were ultimately dropped.

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TURMOIL AT MABLEY CENTER . . .

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2 officials at Mabley Center in Dixon—the clinical services director and the HR director--have resigned this summer after writing exit statements highly critical of 2 of the center’s top administrators as well as an official of the Division of DD who is the sister of one of the administrators.?

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Mabley seems to be in a state of turmoil, and we have been told to expect more negative reports soon.? The center was placed on immediate jeopardy status in June after a resident with severe I/DD was apparently raped by his roommate.? Also in June, the Dept. of Public Health cited the center for failing to respond to an outbreak of the bacteria Shigella.

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IN OUR INBOX . . .

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I said I was going to reduce my workload by dropping this column, but you all hollered in protest, so here it is! . . .

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FROM MARC TANENBERG, Northbrook dad, commenting on somebody from Union County named Maria Davis who claims Choate is a great place and came up with the story that Ed owns a bunch of money-making CILAs (NOT!): “Hey, Ed.? Can you cut me in for a portion of the profits you collect from all the CILAs you own?? Idiots like Maria Davis, who call real news ‘fake’ and then try to discredit people who speak the truth, are obvious Trumpies who copy his MO.? And it’s scary how many people think and act like her.”

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FROM ROD PATTERSON, former director, Institute on Public Policy, on the report that DDD’s compliance with Ligas Decree is improving: “It is no wonder the two areas without improvement are the ones that the state is most deficient in providing—person-centered planning and service coordination.? But it is good to see that some areas are showing improvement.? The improvement shows a real strong commitment to focusing on the person and not a set of prescribed standards.”

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FROM MARY ANN DYRDA, Elmhurst mom, on violence at Choate: “Makes me sick---and angry.? You can only hope that what goes around, comes around.? Animals behave better than these staffers.? Those residents should not have to live in fear.? Thanks for keeping up the pressure!”

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FROM ELLEN McMANUS, Wilmette mom, on Ligas Monitor Ronnie Cohn’s conversation with a SODC resident who wants to move to a CILA: “If the young woman is this articulate in expressing herself, she doesn't belong in an institution!”

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FROM TERA WENNER, Rockford BCBA: “I have attempted to help families way too many times who are past the point of functioning because they have lived in crisis for so long. By the time any support is made available, no support is enough. Having been in the I/DD field in IL since 1991, I can say with confidence that the service system currently provides less meaningful and timely support then it did 30 years ago, from early Intervention to service coordination, respite and family support.”

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On Director Bryant Davis finally exiting Choate.? Davis and 2 top assistants were indicted on charges of interfering with the prosecution of an abuser, but the charges were ultimately dropped because no one would testify against them. . . .

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FROM SHAWNA EGAN, Cary mom: “You are kicking major a--, Ed!? Way to go!”

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FROM CIARA OWENS, Union County: “I’m sure the governor will create a cushy job for him somewhere. Now the other 2 need to go, too.”

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FROM BRUCE SEITZER, Wilmette, former mental health professional: “Thanks for your outstanding ongoing investigative reporting on DHS in general and the problems at Choate in particular. The memo you reference from previous Director Stark including her discussion of ‘conflicts of interest’ is representative of what appears to be a dysfunctional culture badly in need of repair.”

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FROM DONNA HALL: “Cover-up after cover-up going on at Choate. Thank you for bringing light to this horrible situation!”

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On Equip for Equality calling for all people with I/DD to be moved out of Choate. . . .

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FROM STEPHANIE MEGGS, Tamms: “They have no idea how terrified some people are to leave what they consider home.? These people deserve their home to be fixed not uprooted.”

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FROM JILL GOLDSTEIN, Highland Park mom: “No. 1, SODCs cost 3x as much to run as community living and the care is more than 3x worse.? No. 2, The issues at Choate have gone on for decades, they are beyond fixing.? No. 3, People are afraid to move because they haven’t been exposed to the better existence that they deserve. . . .? The average per-resident reimbursement to CILAs is $91,000, or one-quarter of the expense in a state institution, according to the Institute on Public Policy.? This post was about the horrors at Choate and the need for Illinois to follow most other states and close down our institutions. The money suck of these behemoth institutions has undercut community living options.”

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FROM ERIN DROZD, parent and Little Friends QIDP: “Service plans are often a joke. They are redundant and almost never modified as necessary. If the goal truly is to see milestones or outcomes met then the outcomes need to be changed routinely when they are met. However, because there are so few ISCs (or ISCs who are not overworked) outcomes are rarely changed once a year let alone when they are met. The Personal Plan/Discovery tool is more like a formality and rarely a true picture of what a person can or should be doing. The State needs to stop attacking our ISCs!”

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On Mabley HR Director Ahneke Thompson’s resignation letter, calling out “nepotism, toxic working environment, blatant abuse of power” . . .

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FROM KIM ZERA, ex-empoyee: “It never stops.”

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FROM EMILEE RENE, ex-employee: “Someone should talk to every employee and past employees to hear the truth. I had a TERRIBLE 5.5 years there that I'll never get back.”??

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FROM CINDY BIEHL MALONEY, ex-employee: “How long can this reign last? It is pitiful to see how this continues to go on!”

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FROM DEB KURZROCK, ex-employee: “You'd think someone would catch on.”

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FROM GREG LeRETTE, ex-employee: “Not if the people in Springfield are there just to draw a paycheck! Sure isn’t like it was years ago.”

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PEOPLE . . .

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STEPHEN KRAY, residential director at Avenues to Independence, has been promoted to CEO.? Congratulations, Steve!? Joni Kraft has been doing a great job as interim CEO since the resignation of Jason Clark.

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AMANDA HEDBERG, until recently the director of philanthropy at Anixter Center, has set up a consulting practice to assist disability organizations in launching innovative programs.? Amanda was the Integration and Special Projects Administrator at Aspire from 2019 to 2021.

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MEGAN MUTTI, a Ligas Family Advocate at The Arc, has been hired to be the Director of the Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center in Effingham.

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MICHELLE AUGOUSTATOS, Clinical Supervisor at the Clarity Clinic in Arlington Heights, is starting a new position as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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THE CONSULTING PRACTICE . . .

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A very warm welcome to Search Inc., our new member/affiliate!? We now have 62 affiliates.

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Gosh, seems like I have known Search forever.? It was started in 1968 by 8 parents in the Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago whose children were excluded from the public school system.? The first group home was opened in 1986 by Executive Director Sandra Luchowski.? John Lipscomb succeeded Sandra in 2000, and Search joined with Glenkirk in forming Keystone Alliance, an organization that provides back-office and other services to disability agencies.? Cory Gumm was hired as a QIDP at Search in 2006, then worked at Glenkirk and Keystone before becoming CEO of Search in 2000.

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McManus Consulting was founded in 2011 by Ed McManus, who was an administrator with the IL Div. of Developmental Disabilities for 18 years, and previously worked as a Chicago Tribune reporter/editor and an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County.

The publication of Ed's Newsletter is made possible by the support of the following members/affiliates: A New Age Human Services, A+ Autism Solutions, Access Living, Active Visions, Ada S. McKinley, Arts of Life, Aspire, At Home Mission, Autism Care Therapy, Avenues to Independence, CCAR Industries, Center for Enriched Living, Center for Independent Futures, Champaign Cty. DD Board, Clearbrook, Community Link, Douglas Center, Encompass/Keshet/JCFS, Friendship House, Garden Center, Gateway Services, Gateway to Learning, Genesis, Glenkirk, Good Shepherd, Helping Hand, Individual Advocacy Group, Land of Lincoln Goodwill, Lambs Farm, LARC/Lansing, Leeda, Little City, McHenry County MH Board, Malcolm Eaton, Misericordia, Mulford Homes/Diane Home Care, Oak-Leyden, Ohana Com. Services, Opportunity Knocks, Orchard Village, Pioneer Center, Progressive Careers & Housing, Ray Grahan, Rimland, Riverside, Royal Living Center, St. Coletta WI, Search, Sheltered Village, Thrive Com. Services, Trinity, UCP Seguin, Warren Achievement, The Workshop/Galena.?

Independent Service Coordinators: Central IL Service Access, Community Alternatives Unlimited, Southern IL Case Coordination Services.?

Disability-related law firms: Chamberlin Riechert Law Group, Clancy & Associates, Matt Cohen & Associates, Monahan Law Group, Rubin Law.?

McManus Consulting provides consultation to these organization, and we consult pro bono with families by phone.? Our newsletter circulation is 2,600.

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