November 4, 2009

Feasibility Study for the Closure of Washington State Institutional Facilities

The Washington State Office of Financial Management contracted with Christopher Murray & Associates of Olympia, Washington to review options for closing the state's institutions. Subcontractor Davis Deshaies, LLC conducted an analysis of residential habilitation centers (RHC) for people with developmental disabilities. The consultant team considered five future options for the state's RHCs:

• Maintain the current status

• Close all state-operated services and campuses

• Close the skilled nursing facilities only

• Close the intermediate care facilities for people with mental retardation only

• Convert the RHCs from long-term care programs to community resource centers offering respite, clinical outreach, and crisis intervention.

To evaluate the options, the team modeled the estimated financial impact and considered how each would maintain quality of care, meet future service demand, and fit within the regulatory and policy environment. They recommended that the state close one facility and downsize the rest by moving most residents to community placements.