Archive for 12. July 2010

Community Center Board Service Provision

12. July 2010 by Kelly.

I wrote and sent the following letter to Mayor John Hickenlooper and Mr. Scott McInnis, both gentlemen are seeking election as Govenor of the state of Colorado:

Gentlemen;

 

Both of you no doubt have many issues and agendas to prepare for as you seek election as Governor of Colorado. One of your major concerns without doubt has to be the developmentally disabled community; after all

Colorado consistently ranks 46th or lower in the nation in regard to available funding for services for people with developmental disabilities.   

 

Before you deliver your prepared response of ‘we are in a recession’ please consider that it doesn’t take more money to operate a responsive person-centered system, it does however take a common sense approach to reduce the amount of time and money that are now being spent on record keeping and red tape instead of service provision.

 

State wide budget cuts along with rules and procedural changes are disabling the very Community Centered Boards (CCB’s) that are intended to serve the families, individuals and community affected by developmental disabilities. Many of these CCB’s have survived by their ability to maximize available monies and remain focused in their dedication and relentless efforts to serve the people they believe in, the developmentally disabled.

 

As a father of two children both born with Down syndrome, I ask you to consider this; the wait list for services in

Colorado also ranks 46th or below, my children, should they outlive my wife and I may spend their entire lives on a wait list. Statistics show that the occurrence of Down syndrome and Autism (to name a few) have increased not only in

Colorado but across our great nation, yet the leadership of our state and nation have done little to improve the lives of these individuals. Rhetoric of state and federal ‘cutting edge projects and services that embrace inclusion or integration for the developmentally disabled’ are no more a reality today than they were 30 years ago. Gentlemen I respectfully offer that my children are no less nor no more worthy of every opportunity to a ‘good life’ as your children are.

 

Again I emphasize that it doesn’t take more money to operate a responsive person-centered system, nor does it take more rules, regulations and government red tape; as an example I have attached page 2 of 55, Program Performance Report from the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, please note that the number of persons on the wait list increased fiscal year 2009 by 967 people.

 

The CCB’s of Colorado do not need more reports, guidelines or State appointed personnel to report to; the CCB’s of

Colorado need common sense from the leaders of our state government. My children, the children and adults within the community of the developmentally disabled are increasing and yet the services they receive are decreasing all the while the very service organizations established to serve them are being suffocated. Please stop the madness and apply some common sense; here is my suggestion:

 

  1. Meet in person with each Community Center Board Executive Director to determine what areas of the Colorado government are hindering their ability to serve the people they are intended to serve.
  2. Meet with the various multitudes of government personnel that create the hindrance; determine whether or not that this person, persons and or department(s) contribute or detract, support or derail those they are meant to serve.
  3. Spend one day personally with an Adult Day Services program director from the CCB of your choice. Then spend one day with the parents of one of the families that send their child (adult) to that Day Service Program. Then spend one day with the parents of a child (adult) that is on the wait list.

 

You can see where I’m going by now, but in case you don’t; eliminating an office or department that is obstructing in the care and service of a community of people that are more often forgotten than revered as fellow human beings is a disgrace and any government official that hangs his or her hat on the fact that they create reports and red tape as a form of job justification have no place working for tax paying citizens of our great state.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration; should you wish to discuss this with me further, please feel free to contact me.

 

Kelly Krei


3591 E 134th Dr

Thornton CO

80241

(H) 303-464-1423

(W) 303-463-9800

Kelly@kreilife.com

Thank you for taking time to read this, please vote responsibly.

Posted in Kyle & Hunter | Print | No Comments »

|