Mental Health Advocates Bar Door to Prevent Dumping People with Mental Illnesses

Board & Care Home Tries Dumping Residents

Mental Health Advocates Bar Door to Prevent Dumping People with Mental Illnesses

PHILADELPHIA, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Mental health advocates, including top management of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP), are barring the door to prevent a personal care boarding home from dumping its remaining residents and closing its doors. This action began at noon today at Mt. Airy Commons, 101 West Johnson Street, Philadelphia.

The decision to close Mt. Airy Commons, a large licensed boarding home for people with mental and physical disabilities, had been made a couple of months ago, in response to advocacy by MHASP and other advocates, which found 280 residents living in intolerable conditions in Mt. Airy Commons as well as two other boarding homes (Edgewood Manor, 221 W. Johnson Street, and Glenwood Manor, at 1903 Green Street).

"The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has not kept its promise to find safe and appropriate placements for all the residents of Mt. Airy Commons," said Jack Boyle, MHASP's senior vice president and chief operating officer.

MHASP advocates have spent the last two months finding placements for the residents of the three boarding homes, and most of the residents are now living in their new homes. But the remaining seven have yet to be placed, and the advocates are outraged that Mt. Airy Commons plans to close without arrangements having been made for them.

Boyle said: "At our first meeting with DPW months ago, the department's attorney, Jack Kane, guaranteed advocates that, if we worked with them, each person would get a safe, secure and appropriate placement. But there are seven people who have nowhere to go right now. We demand that Mt. Airy Commons remain open until places can be found for everyone. Otherwise, we have no choice other than to try to prevent these people from being dumped. Common human decency demands it."

Source: Mental Health Ass'n of Southeastern Pennsylvania

This "Mental Health E-News" posting is a service of the New York Ass'n of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, a statewide coalition of people who use and/or provide community mental health services dedicated to improving services and social conditions for people with psychiatric disabilities by promoting their recovery, rehabilitation and rights.
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