Developmental Disabilities Service System in Pennsylvania

摘要

Pennsylvania's developmental disabilities service system is evaluated as part of an overall study of the effectiveness of current State efforts to deinstitutionalize developmentally disabled persons and to create community - based residential and service alternatives. Pennsylvania was one of five States selected for evaluation. Its selection was based upon a reputation for achievement deemed profitable for States with less developed service systems for the developmentally disabled. The two - member study team spent 7 days in Pennsylvania, during which it interviewed State officials and representatives of consumer and provider organizations and visited two regional offices of the Department of Public Welfare and one county within each Region (Harrisburg and Philadelphia). Following an overview of the system, which is oriented primarily toward the mentally retarded, key system elements are analyzed according to study criteria. The key elements examined are system organization, service coordination, monitoring and evaluation, needs assessment, resource inventory, planning and priority setting, coordinated funding, and resource development. Factors affecting the performance of these key elements are identified and analyzed. A fiscal crisis in the State and litigation focusing on deinstitutionalization of the mentally retarded are the major forces prompting change in the State's delivery system for the mentally retarded, and strategies for response include exploration of additional funding sources for specific programs, increased fiscal accountability, and planning for deinstitutionalization. Implications of the Pennsylvania experience for other States are discussed. Notes, footnotes, and a glossary are provided.