State agrees to close developmental center
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – State officials have agreed to close a large facility in East Tennessee that houses mentally disabled people, but local officials say they will argue to keep it open.
The Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities has submitted a plan to shut down Greene Valley Developmental Center by next June and move its nearly 100 residents into more home-like settings. According to media, the move would end a lawsuit filed against the state in 1995 over its care of mentally disabled people.
A federal judge must decide whether to approve the plan. A hearing in the case is set for Jan. 21 in Nashville.
Some in Greene County object to the proposal because they say the facility cares well for its residents, and it would put 600 people out of work.
