Icon Agency History for department of health and mental hygiene great oaks center

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The Great Oaks Center was created under the authority of the Developmental Disabilities Administration. The Developmental Disabilities Administration originated in 1966 as the Division of Mental Retardation within the Bureau of Preventive Medical Services of the Office of Medical Care Services. In 1970, the Division reformed into a Directorate of Mental Retardation from which the Mental Retardation Administration was created in 1971. The Administration reorganized in 1982 as the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration (Chapter 430, Acts of 1982). In 1986, the Administration received its present name (Chapter 637, Acts of 1986). It was placed under Behavioral Health and Disabilities in July 2008.

 

Great Oaks Center was established by Chapter 566, Acts of 1967, as the Metropolitan Washington Retardation Center. It adopted its present name in 1971. The residential facility opened in the fall of 1970 and had space for 230 residents. It was designed to provide a full range of services, both in the residential setting and community, to
non-ambulatory and partially-ambulatory mentally retarded residents born after November 1, 1958 from Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's, and St. Mary's counties.  The first phase of the center was constructed on 167 acres of land in Beltsville (straddling the Prince George’s and Montgomery county line) with a cost of $3,832,000.    The original deed references for the land being Montgomery County land record book 3401, page 489, Prince George’s County land record book 3910, page 510, and Montgomery County land record book 3896, page 209, and Prince George’s County land record book 3753, page 454 (all of which can be viewed online at www.mdlandrec.net).

 

The building of the Center was undertaken in two phases.  Phase I was begun in 1968 and was completed in 1970.  This included an Administration and Therapeutic Building, 110 bed Nursery, Infirmary, 90 bed Intensive Rehabilitation Unit, 30 bed Hospital, Dietary and Supply Building, and a Power Plant.  Phase II included living space for patients more capable of taking care of themselves, including nine cottages.  The plans for Phase II were drawn up by Walton-Madden-Cooper.  The second phase of construction was completed in September 1974, providing living and programming space for an additional 270 residents. 

 

The peak population of the center was reached in 1978, with about 500 patients.  In 1986 the Department of Justice began an investigation of allegations of unconstitutional conditions at the hospital, and sent a letter to then Governor Schaeffer highlighting the concerns.  After this, several people (on behalf of six residents) brought a suit against the center citing deficiencies in care.  During this time the center continued to operate, but lost its Medicaid provider status in 1994 because it did not meet certification requirements.   The State filed an answer to the complaint in January of 1995, but decided to close the center later that year.  The Secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Martin Wasserman reported to the General Assembly that June:

 

The closure of the Great Oaks Center is based on costs which are escalating beyond any other Development Disabilities Administration (DDA) facility, and upon employee recruitment and retention problems which have made it problematic for Great Oaks Center to maintain its license and certification for federal Medicaid funding, to meet U.S. Department of Justice requirements, and to prepare for a successful trial in the case of Hunt v. Meszaros [the caption of this case in district court].

 

The center was closed in June of 1996, and the case was dismissed soon thereafter.   Numerous letters to the editor were written by the parents of patients did contest the closing, suggesting that for their severely disabled children, community living was not an option, and that they needed a hospital setting for proper care. (Clippings of these editorials can be found in T2780-1 of the Archives holdings.)

 

Approval for the sale of the property by the Board of Public Works to private developers was made on December 6, 1995, and a final agreement was signed October 30, 1996 with Senior Campus Living Inc. for $9.1 million.  The land transaction is recorded in Montgomery County land record book 17025, page 771, and Prince George’s County land record book 13019, page 514.