Justice Department files lawsuit over Ark disabled treatment, could close large centers
By Chuck Bartels, APThursday, May 6, 2010
Justice Dept. files suit over Ark disabled
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit that alleges Arkansas-run centers for the developmentally disabled violate federal law and that patients are needlessly institutionalized.
The lawsuit filed Thursday says Arkansas is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A spokesman for Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe says the governor doesn’t want to close the institutions. Spokesman Matt DeCample says the centers need to remain “viable.”
About 1,100 patients are spread among six Arkansas facilities. The federal government wants the patients cared for in the “most integrated centers appropriate.”
The statewide lawsuit is a rare step for the Justice Department. The Obama administration has made a priority of ensuring enforcement of the ADA.
