HARRISBURG, Pa. — The struggle to halt the closure of the Polk State Center continued on Wednesday with Senate passage of legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-21) which would keep it open for a minimum of five years.
The approved bill, Senate Bill 924, would also create a Task Force on the Closure of State Facilities. This task force would perform a “comprehensive evaluation” of the remaining state centers and provide recommendations prior to the closure of any of the state centers.
Under this legislation, no state center would close until the task force completed their comprehensive evaluation and provided their recommendations to the department, the state center is deemed eligible for closure, and the plan is approved through a majority vote of the task force.
The legislation would also stop the closure of any state center until at least five years have elapsed.
If a state center is deemed eligible for closure through a majority vote taken by the task force, the department will be required to prepare a plan for the closure of the state center and the transition of individuals receiving care in the state center to a home or community-based support system. Once the plan is approved by the task force, the department would be required to make the plan available to the public, as well.
“Since the announcement of this closure, we have had a worldwide pandemic. What that has meant is there has been zero to little thought about where these residents will go,” Hutchinson said. “We have families deathly afraid about the future living arrangements for their very fragile family members.”
Similar legislation was introduced in the previous legislative session and while it was approved by the General Assembly, it was later vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
“I hope the House of Representatives approves this bill and again sends it to the governor, and I pray he will give families and residents more time to plan for this life-changing action his administration is taking,” Hutchinson said.
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