If You Go
What: Meeting on program changes at Orange Grove CenterWhen: 6:30 p.m. TuesdayWhere: OGC cafeteria. Pizza, cookies and soft drinks will be served
When Antoinette Jackson got a letter from Orange Grove Center saying it would have to change its day programs for the intellectually disabled or lose federal funding, she was worried.
Her 28-year-old daughter is involved in all kinds of activities in Orange Grove’s day programs, from bowling to singing in the Chattanooga facility’s acclaimed choir.
Jackson doesn’t see any reason or benefit from a new rule ordering centers that serve the intellectually disabled to switch day programs from campus to community-based services. She worries for her daughter’s safety and security outside the protection of Orange Grove.
“It probably sounds good on paper, but my daughter is blind, mentally handicapped and would go with a stranger – it’s dangerous for her,” Jackson said. “And her day program is perfect for her. I don’t understand why they think this is going to be a good idea.”
Like it or not, the mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a reality. Agencies that provide home and community-based services for the intellectually disabled and receive Medicaid funding must make the switch or lose their federal money.
Tennessee is asking providers to do self-assessments and develop their own transition plans with input from clients, families and employees.
Orange Grove will host a meeting Tuesday to discuss what’s coming up and how the center can make the most of it.
“We hope to design changes consistent with the wishes of people we serve and their families – that is our first priority,” said Executive Director Kyle Hauth.
In his letter to Orange Grove families, Hauth said, “There is a serious threat to these services and unless the state of Tennessee changes its new policies, Orange Grove will eliminate Facility Based day services as currently provided.”
On Thursday, Hauth said he hopes the meeting will include “talk about ways we can increase our involvement in the community as a whole and increase the experiences of the people we serve in an inclusive community environment.”
The intent of the new rule, in this 25th anniversary year of the Americans with Disabilities Act, is to make sure the intellectually disabled are able to participate as fully as possible in their communities’ education, recreation and work opportunities, said Cara Kumari, communications director for Tennessee’s Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
“Change is difficult, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good thing,” Kumari said in an email Friday.
“Ultimately these rules are intended to improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities by helping them achieve greater independence, and have more opportunities to be part of their communities.”
Kumari added some cautions to assuage families’ fears and concerns.
“It’s important to note that these rules do not require that Orange Grove close its facility-based day program. Nor do these rules have any impact on the school at OGC. Education services are not home and community based services.”
Hauth thinks the rule might allow Orange Grove to use a little jiu-jitsu.
“So people from Orange Grove will be out in the community, and people who don’t have disabilities can take advantage of amenities of Orange Grove,” he said.
Those include a full-sized Olympic pool, three hydrotherapy pools, an auditorium, a gymnasium and a suite of what he called “sensory environments” where people can experience sensations such as lights, smells, textures and relaxation.
There’s also a health clinic, and there could be jobs for people without disabilities in areas such as the recycling center, he said.
“We want to create a dialog between families and the funder,” Hauth said. “There are many different philosophies on how best to serve people with disabilities and do so in a way most beneficial and inclusive to the individual.”
The Chattanooga center “provided this service before there was a community service, and we will continue to meet the needs of this population,” he said.
Contact staff writer Judy Walton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.