In response, the Department of Public Welfare initiated the Cambridge Moose Lake Project and began transferring people with developmental disabilities from Cambridge to Moose Lake, a traditional community mental health hospital.
Originally prompted by overcrowding, the regionalization movement had begun.
By regionalizing services, people with developmental disabilities could be cared for closer to their homes. Hospitals started serving multiple groups and school districts began paying for school programs within the institutions.
The Cambridge Moose Lake Project marked the start of the regionalization movement.