FAIRHOPE — People gathered in a meeting room at the Altapointe Health offices in Fairhope on Wednesday, July 15, with sentiments of both uncertainty and frustration to discuss the recent decertification of ARC Baldwin County, a nonprofit that provides services for people living with disabilities.

ARC Baldwin County is part of the larger ARC of Alabama network and has provided day programming, services and housing for around 150 people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has three centers in Robertsdale, Loxley and Foley. On July 1, the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) notified ARC Baldwin County through a letter that the group has been decertified, ordering that they relocate all residents staying there on a Medicaid waiver to other certified organizations and programs.

ADMH Commissioner Kimberly Boswell said the department found several violations that led to the decertification, including staff training deficits and language barriers, nursing oversight and medical care noncompliance, inadequate supervision and failure to implement person-centered plans and supervision, training and medical care compliance failures resulting in "critical incidents and death."

ARC Baldwin County has appealed the decision, but unless the appeal is successful, all of ARC Baldwin County’s services have ended as of July 15.

Camille Cumuze, associate commissioner for developmental disabilities for ADMH, said the meeting was to share information with families affected about other care providers who are either already serving families in Baldwin County or are coming to try and fill the gap left by the closure. Around a dozen organizations were mentioned that provide in-home care or day programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We understand that the breadth of the closure of these programs causes a lot of uncertainty for you and your families and causes a lot of concern for you and your families,” Cumuze said. “Our greatest concern is for the individuals that we serve here in the state of Alabama.”

Some in attendance expressed frustration over communication efforts by the department. One of those people was Ruth Reed, a Daphne resident whose son took part in ARC's day programming.

“I wasn’t aware that the program was ending until after it was over and they called me to tell me about the meeting,” Reed told GCM. “I literally knew nothing.”

Reed, who was sitting in the front row across from Cumuze, told her the department’s communication “quite frankly pissed me off,” saying the situation threw her son into a “whirlwind” with his daily routine.

“The lack of communication to parents of these children in these programs is unacceptable, and I hope going forward it is corrected,” Reed said during the meeting.

Others questioned why they weren’t notified sooner about concerns against the organization.

“What I think the Alabama Department of Mental Health has done is very irresponsible,” said Fairhope resident Rebecca Watson, who said she has a special needs family member who receives services through ARC in a different state. “They can say that they care about these residents and these families, but the way that they’ve handled this, it doesn’t seem that way to me.”

Cumuze said she cannot speak on behalf of ARC of Baldwin County, repeatedly telling those in attendance that she is unable to answer any questions about any reported issues involving the local chapter, as it is an ongoing legal matter.

Cumuze said she believes ADMH did the right thing in shutting down ARC Baldwin County. However, she did say a notification to families “should have been sooner.”

“I understand that it’s frustrating, but we have to make sure that we follow our legal rules,” Cumuze said. “That’s why I have my legal advisor here and we have to make sure that we honor the ARC of Baldwin County’s rights as we move into the appeal process. I can say with certainty that we have done what we feel is in the best interest of the health and welfare of the individuals we serve.”

Christine Monaco, attorney for ADMH, initially told those in attendance that the appeal hearing will be open to the public. However, a ADMH spokesperson told GCM that legal counsel for the state agency said the hearing will actually be closed to the public. A date, time and location for the hearing was not announced at the meeting, but a hearing officer has been selected.

ADMH refferred GCM to ARC Baldwin County when asked about residents not on a Medicaid waiver. Kathy Fleet, executive director for ARC Baldwin County, has told GCM that she cannot comment at this time due to ongoing legal proceedings.