Myths and Facts About the RHC's (Like Fircrest)

Fircrest School is an "RHC" (Residential Habitation Center), which are mandated by the State of WA to provide services to the most vulnerable populations of our communities. 

Fircrest Cottage and State Health Lab behind

These people are the most medically fragile, vulnerable and most profoundly retarded citizens who cannot live independently and need care from places like Fircrest that are "Centers of Excellence". 
Now some of these residents are under the age of 21 and have been students in the local School Districts, such as Shoreline. 


Recently, Superintendent Sue Walker decided to testify before a State Senate Committee saying that 
Fircrest "is bad for children and bad for our community(ies). " 


Saskia Davis is the sister of a longtime resident of Fircrest. Here is her opinion on what is important, and what is Myth or Truth about RHC's. 

Saskia Davis

RHCs are both needed and cost effective for tax-payers. The policy-driven decline of population in them has caused their per-capita costs to be artificially high. By increasing admission & allowing permanent status for those who qualify, the state would be saving money while providing kind, expert & individualized care to people with intensive special needs: physical, medical, behavioral, cognitive & mental.

Opposition to RHCs is largely based on myths, some of which were true a long time ago & some which never were true:

MYTH #1: Forced institutionalization:

TRUTH: Many years ago, institutions were the only venues available when people with dd could no longer be cared for in their families of origin homes. Many who could learn to live in the general community felt trapped in RHCs.

Now the situation is quite the opposite: There are a variety of private and state-run options & the ADA requires true choice between RHCs & general-community venues.

MYTH #2: People with dd are imprisoned in RHCs & abuse goes on behind closed doors.
TRUTH: Many years ago, institutional oversight was poor, but now, and for many years, RHC oversight has been strict, whereas general-community venue oversight is less so.
In general, due to audits according to stringent standards, tied to Federal funding, RHCs are considered the safest option.

MYTH #3: RHC closures will result in more money for people living in the general community who are wait-listed.
TRUTH: RHC economy-of-scale saves the State money that could be applied to the needs of wait-listed people. Similar services will cost more, not less for this population if they are spread throughout the general community. Oregon parents complain that except for former residents of Fairview (State institution for people with DD, now closed) there are hardly any state supported services available for people with dd. In other words, the closure of the facility did not effect the goal of making funds available for such general community services.

More thanks,

Saskia

Superintendent Sue Walker Attacks Fircrest

Shoreline School District and Superintendent Sue Walker have decided it is a good policy to attack Fircrest School in Olympia at a Senate Hearing.

Superintendent Sue Walker

According to Shoreline-LFP PATCH Blog, Ms Walker made statements yesterday at Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee Hearing stating that,

"The continuation of the current state policy to segregate disabled children in the RHCs, of which the overwhelming majority are sent to Fircrest School in Shoreline, is bad for children and for all communities in Washington," 

Further the article states the District's policy as follows;

The Shoreline School District is supporting a bill in the Washington State Senate stating that children in the state’s care should be served in residential settings near their families, friends, and schools, not in institutions, including the Fircrest School in Shoreline.
Senate Bill 5132 would change state law to prohibit children under the age of 21 from being placed in Residential Habilitation Centers (RHC) like Fircrest.

Fircrest School is an RHC (Residential Habilitation Center) which has been located in Shoreline since
1959.  The School is in the Ridgecrest/Briacrest neighborhoods, just south of Hamlin Park. The site was also earlier in the century an Navy Hospital and then the Firlands TB Sanitorium.
According to the Friends of Fircrest website, Fircrest's its mission is:

Fircrest provides specialized, high-quality personalized service to the most challenging individuals with developmental disabilities. These services are consistently provided in a manner and environment that assumes, as the highest priority, client respect, dignity, and individualism.

Fircrest School Campus

Fircrest is considered to be a "center of excellence" by professionals in the care of the disabled. It serves a diverse population of medically fragile people with severe disabilities who are often profoundly retarded and often behaviorally challenged. There are currently 24 residents who are school age and only one is a Shoreline School District student.

So it is rather perplexing as to why Supt Walker would decide it was a good policy to attack Fircrest residents, staff and families at this time.

It seems to us, that she is remarkably out of touch with the concerns of the Shoreline/LFP community which strongly supports Fircrest's mission and the families who rely on it.

The students who reside at Fircrest rely on the expert care they receive and it is curious as to why Supt Walker and the Shoreline School Board would choose at this time to attack this valuable asset to our community. It seems to us that the teachers who would have to provide the attention required to these students,were they in the classrooms would find it difficult, taxing and distracting to other students, to say the least.  If these profoundly disabled students require expert care that is provided them at Fircrest, who is Superintendent Walker to deny them that service?