END THE DEATH CAMPS MFP GIVES CHOICES; A BETTER ALTERNATIVE

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people in wheelchairs and folks standing gather on sidewalk. Trees behind them.

ADAPT gathers on sidewalk at 11th & Congress by the Capitol for press conference

To celebrate Freedom Day, Martin Luther King’s birthday, a small but stalwart band of ADAPT folks gathered in front of the Texas Capitol in Austin for a press conference to support getting people out of nursing homes and into community living with Money Follows the Person, MFP. Nursing homes have been shown by COVID 19 to be death traps for way too many, and that nursing facilities and other institutions are not the way to provide services to people with disabilities and older Texans. Yet for decades Texas leadership has Honor thy Mother Father Grandma Grandpa Keep them out of nursing homes (blood dripping from these 2 words and the o of homes is the ADAPT logo). Use Money Follows the Person MFP. ADAPT and PACT logos at the bottom.ignored this reality and continued to build up that system and only begrudgingly provide community alternatives.

ADAPT luck was on hand, as Cathy and Ron Cranston spotted the Governor posing for a picture on the Capitol grounds.  They were able to pass on our message to one of his body guards and yell to him as he turned tail and hustled inside.  Despite his disability, Governor Abbott has little regard for the plight of his fellow Texans with disabilities, as has been shown time and again.

ADAPT of Texas and the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (grassroots disability rights organizations) have been fighting to end the institutional bias in long term services and supports  for people with disabilities since 1990. 

Call the decision makers below and tell them we want the Texas Legislature to reform the long term services and supports system by:

  • Directing HHSC to use the federal Money Follows the Person funding to get and keep people with disabilities and older Texans out of nursing facilities and other institutions;
  • Increase wages and benefits of Community Attendants to $15 per hour;
  • Fund the Diversion of people with disabilities and older Texans from nursing facilities and other institutions;
  • Assure Community Attendants get adequate PPE and are a priority for vaccinations;
  • Assure support services and housing are separate.

Gov. Greg Abbott      Messaging – 512.800.843.5789, 512.463.1782

Switchboard – 512.463.2000 

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick – Office – 512.463.0001   Messaging – 512.463.5342

Speaker of the House Dade Phelan – Office – 512.463.1000

Speaker Pro Tem Joe Moody of the Texas House of Representatives – 512.463.0728

Senator Jane Nelson – Chair of the Finance Committee – 512.463.0923

Sen Lois W. Kolkhorst – Chair Senate Health & Human Services Comm 512.463.0118