Legislators: Central State jobs could be safe

Keich Whicker wrote this piece in the Macon Telegraph this morning on the proposal to move 135 people from an institution in Milledgeville called Central State hospital to the community. State Sen. Johnny Grant and Rep. Bobby Parham are quoted throughout the article making the case that this budget item is a jobs issue. We know that people with disabilities want and are able to live in the community, because 10 others states have successfully made this type of transition work. We also know that these jobs are needed in the community to continue to support people with disabilities. For more facts or to write a letter to the Editor of the Macon Telegraph click here: The Unlock Website.

Two Milledgeville legislators said Wednesday that about 400 jobs at Central State Hospital may have been saved.
State Sen. Johnny Grant and Rep. Bobby Parham said some of the $17 million in cuts the Department of Human Resources recommended in its 2007 budget proposal to the state might not happen after all...Heather Hedrick, a press secretary for the governor, said Perdue's final decision about the cuts will be based on two factors.
"There are long-term interests and short-term interests," she said. "In the short term, Gov. Perdue wants to do what's in the best interests of longtime state employees who have been loyal to the state for a number of years. ... Long term, research and studies show people with health problems are better off being integrated with their communities ... and the governor wants to work toward that."
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Macon Telegraph 01/05/2006 Legislators: Central State jobs could be safe