1970s: One Step Forward
Construction of New Institutions Moves Forward Despite Calls for Phase Out
By 1970, the state Department of Public Welfare reported that state institutions might no longer be necessary within another decade or two. Despite this prediction, construction of new buildings moved forward.
Molly Woehrlin, President of Minnesota Arc, and the state mental health association responded quickly, urging that no new buildings be constructed on state hospital grounds and calling for all state institutions to be phased out.
Nevertheless, expansion continued. In 1970, a new unit for people with developmental disabilities opened in Hastings.
Molly Woehrlin was a formidable force in the debate surrounding construction of new hospital buildings.
Video: Molly Woehrlin, past President of Arc Minnesota
Part 1: Parent Advocacy in the 1960s
In 1970, the Department of Public Welfare recommended that Governor LeVander further regionalize all state hospitals because resident populations were declining. The report also said some buildings were aging and should be demolished.
By 1971, six new regional care units had opened at St. Peter, Willmar, Fergus Falls, Rochester, Moose Lake and Hastings to allow residents to be transferred to facilities closer to their home counties.
By 1971, developmental programming was also underway.
Developmental programming meant that all people could learn if learning was divided into small tasks taught in sequence.
By the early 1970s, developmental programming was being widely used to teach people with developmental disabilities important skills such as using the telephone.
Progress Made Throughout Minnesota
Progress was being made throughout the state. For example, at the Faribault facility, Travis Thompson, Professor at the University of Minnesota, demonstrated the power of behavior modification using a token system.
Dr. Len Fielding of the Anoka State Hospital reported that a 3-year study of 190 institutionalized people with self-inflicted injuries indicated that the causes usually stemmed from dissatisfaction, boredom, teasing, abuse, and forced attitudes.
When the Owatonna State School closed in 1971, Dr. Reynolds and his colleagues conducted a follow-up study of 158 residents who were transferred to regional facilities.
The study found that the transfers were accomplished with few problems. County staff was successful in making the transfers happen.
Following the closure of the Owatonna State School in 1971 (above), residents were transferred primarily to Brainerd State Hospital.
Also in 1971, Governor Wendell Anderson established the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. The Legislature also expanded mandatory special education to include all students between the ages of 5 and 21.
The Governor's Council was created to ensure that people with developmental disabilities receive the support they need to live independently, to make their own decisions and to be productive, integrated community members. To do so, the Council plans, coordinates and evaluates the State's system of services for people with developmental disabilities.
Governor Wendell Anderson
Group homes were opening around the state to allow parents and guardians to choose care that was close to home.
Congress approved Medical Assistance for Intermediate Care Facilities in 1971 and the Fergus Falls State Hospital was the first in the state to be certified to receive federal funds.
Within four years, all state hospitals were certified and Minnesota became the first state to use Medicaid to fund community group homes.
In 1973, Gillette Hospital no longer operated as part of the state's Department of Public Welfare.
Another state-run facility, the Gillette Hospital, had served children with physical disabilities under the aegis of the Department of Public Welfare for decades. In 1973, it was transferred to a new, quasi-public authority. It continues to be one of Minnesota's premier rehabilitation hospitals.
Care Standards Reach Critical Juncture
Care standards for people with developmental disabilities reached a critical juncture on August 30, 1972. On that day, Richard Welsch filed a complaint with federal courts criticizing the physical condition, care, treatment and training residents received at Minnesota's regional treatment centers.
Welsch, whose daughter had lived at Cambridge State Hospital since she was seven years old, alleged that conditions at the facility and the treatment provided did not meet constitutional standards of due process. Attorney Neil Mickenberg led the class action suit.
A lawsuit filed by Richard Welsch criticized resident care at Minnesota institutions.
Video: Eleanor Welsch, mother of Patty Welsch,whose parents filed the landmark federal suit over lack of care at Cambridge State Hospital.
Part 1: The Beginning of the Welsch Case from a Mother’s Viewpoint