San Joaquin Activity Center Closure Leaves Some Scrambling For Options
STOCKTON (CBS13) — By the start of the summer, more than 100 children and adults with developmental disabilities in San Joaquin County will be forced to find new service providers.
County leaders have announced they are discontinuing the program that has offered social skills and job training to clients for close to 60 years.
By now, clients who come here to the activity center have been notified of the change. Now, comes the tough job of transitioning those patients to new programs.
Leaders with the Valley Mountain Regional Center in San Joaquin County will soon be meeting with more than 100 clients, individually. They will be assessing each of their cases carefully as they prepare to close the activity center
"That's what's really making everybody upset, and our social workers and everybody feels that pain. You can't help but feel that because the routine is very important and when you have to disturb it like this you have to be very careful," said Tony Anderson, executive of the Valley Mountain Regional Center.
Valley Mountain partially funds the activity center, and so does the county. Earlier this month, leaders decided it would shut down the program to help save money.
"Providers are going out of business throughout the state, so this is really a systemic problem we're having, but you know the state isn't paying more to regional centers to pay the providers more so there is really nothing we can do," he said.
The activity center can serve 140 people with developmental disabilities, but those numbers have gone down in recent years. It now serves 128 clients. Each person will be transferred to new programs.
County leaders are discussing options to prevent a disruption of care. They are working with service providers for a smooth transition.
"All the county cares about the citizens, and all of the members so, the board of supervisors and our department heads are very cognizant of this population and wanting to make sure that they have services and they have activities and things that are developmentally beneficial for them," said Tom Patti, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.
The county is expected to close this facility by the end of June. Providers say they will start meeting with clients as soon as Monday.
