“I, along with residents’ family members and others, am very, very disappointed with today’s denial of a preliminary injunction to halt the closure of the Murray Developmental Center,” said Rep. Meier.
“Murray Center residents call the facility home, and most are there because they need the level of full-time care Murray Center provides so well. There’s no question that forcing them into a lesser facility, with less monitoring, will place their safety at risk. I will be meeting with parents and others in the coming days to discuss our next step. Make no mistake; we will continue to fight for these residents,” added Meier.
“In addition, while the Governor continues to claim that he is creating jobs, he has just fired 541 state employees. This comes in an area of the state, Marion County, that is in the top 5 in unemployment in the State of Illinois.”
“These families now need all of our prayers that their children won’t meet the same tragic fate as so many others who were in the failed care of Illinois when facilities were closed. Moving forward, I can only guarantee that I will be closely watching over the shoulder of the Illinois Department of Human Services during this transition and in the future to fight for the rights of these residents wherever the state chooses to place them,” Rep. Meier concluded.