An independent advocate for the developmentally disabled?

IN AN attempt to eliminate what some critics have called a basic conflict of interest within the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission (GAC), Gov. James R. Thompson signed executive Order No. 6 November 20, 1981, creating the Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy Board. The board is part of the GAC but is independent of the GAC's guardianship division. The GAC serves as both "guardian of last resort" and advocate for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled in Illinois. Federal law requires that advocates for persons with developmental disabilities be independent of any organizations which provide services to those persons, such as hospitals, mental health associations or the guardianship division of the GAC itself (see August Illinois Issues, p. 12).

The governor's order stipulates that members of the advocacy board must be "independent of any State agency which provides treatment, services or habilitation to persons with developmental disabilities." The board will establish policy for the advocacy system, review its operation and have control of its budget.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which provides funding for the state's advocacy system, was apparently satisfied that the advocacy function of the GAC would be separate from its function as guardian of last resort. The department, which had rejected an earlier Thompson plan for the system, approved the creation of the Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy Board December 2.

Myrna Mazur, assistant to GAC Director Sandra G. Nye, believes the governor took the right step. "The advocacy system has a separate board, separate commission and separate budget. I think this is the ultimate safeguard for the developmentally disabled."

But Gary South, director of the Illinois Developmentally Disabled Advocacy Authority (a nonprofit corporation which, before losing its funding last October, had shared advocacy responsibilities with the GAC), feels that the new board won't ensure the advocacy system's independence. "They'll still be working next to each other, with adjoining desks in the same agency," he said. "It's a jury-rigged system. It's a violation of federal law, and I expect it to be litigated." South said that the National Assocation of Protection and Advocacy Systems, and organization of designated advocacy systems across the country, views Thompson's action with concern because "other states will follow suit and jeopardize the independence of their own advocacy systems.

John G. Martin

Medicaid service providers terminated

Thirteen Illinois providers of medical services under the Medicaid program were terminated July 16 by Department of Public Aid Director Jeffrey C. Miller. Since the Illinois Fraud and Abuse Act (P.A. 80-2) became law in 1977, 97 providers of Medicaid services, including 37 physicians, have been terminated or suspended, mostly for providing incomplete documentation of services for which the department was billed.

Animal rabies cases

The number of reported animal rabies cases in Illinois reached 526 in November, already topping the record high of 524 reported in 1980, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The department reported that most of the rabid animals were skunks (431), but noted that domestic animals accounted for 13 percent of reported cases, up from 10 percent in 1980. While there have been no reported cases of human rabies in Illinois since 1954, the number of people receiving rabies vaccine increased to 510 through November as compared to 403 in all of 1980 (see "Science," October Illinois Issues, p. 17).

Pilot cancer 'registry' program

A pilot cancer "registry" program, sponsored by the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) and the Department of Public Health (IDPH), will be developed in a 16-county area surrounding Champaign-Urbana, ENR an-nounced November 23. The project will seek to identify cancer causes and trends through collec-tion of information on all new cancer diagnoses in the area and through interviews with cancer victims on where they have lived, their occupa-tions and other health-related factors. The infor-mation will be made available to cancer research-ers and to IDPH.

Michael Witte, director of ENR, said his department decided to develop the program be-cause "so many of the illnesses seem to be caused by environmental factors," and ENR is responsible for environmental research and pol-icy formulation.

Funding for the project this year is $28,000 with ENR supplying $24,000 and IDPH provid-ing $4,000. ENR expects the program to be ex-tended through 1983 and funding to reach $40,000. Thereafter ENR hopes the project will become statewide.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 42,000 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in Illinois nois in 1981, nearly 22,000 of which will result in death.

Community college attendance

The number of people attending community colleges reached an all-time high this fall, accord-ing to Dr. David Pierce, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board. Statistics gathered by Pierce's office indicate that credit

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Pierce attributed at least part of the jump in enrollment to the gloomy economic picture in some areas of the state: When jobs are hard to get, people turn to the community colleges to upgrade their skills.

Hazardous waste permit denied

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) denied ZYX Corporation of Bensenville a permit to develop a hazardous waste storage facility at the former Green River Ordnance Plant near Amboy. The IEPA said in its permit denial in October that it was unsure whether the ZYX Corporation could prove it was not in violation of the Environmental Protection Act. The following problems were cited: doubt that the Amboy Fire Department could handle emergencies involving large amounts of combustible liquids or other toxic wastes; lack of emergency procedures to evacuate or protect nearby workers and residents in case of accidents; incompatibility with other industrial developments in the area, which include warehouse storage of perishable food; and lack of a specific time limit for the storage, a problem since the storage of waste for an extended period of time "might become a liability to local residents and a threat to the environment."

The ZYX Corporation has appealed this decision to the Pollution Control Board, which will hear the case in December or January.

Coal research lab expanded

The Illinois State Geological Survey's expanded and remodeled coal research laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign was dedicated October 14. The State Geological Survey (ISGS) received $376,000 for renovation of its Applied Research Laboratory from the Capital Development Board. The money will be used to enlarge lab space, install a protective air system and purchase modern equipment. Recent research by ISGS includes "coal charring," a process in which heat and chemicals are used to remove 80 to 90 percent of the sulfur from Illinois coal. To date, the process has only been tried in the laboratory, but efforts are underway to make it available commercially.

Department of Agriculture reorganizes

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has made some organizational changes in an effort to place greater emphasis on developing markets for Illinois agricultural products. Effective October 1, the division of markets (formerly the division of marketing and agricultural services) includes the bureau of agricultural statistics (formerly part of the division of administrative services). In addition, the bureaus of horse racing and county fairs were moved from the division of markets to the newly created division of fairs and horse racing (formerly the division of State Fair). The department's information office has also been centralized.

New radiation detectors for State Police

State troopers in the hazardous material section of the Illinois State Police have been issued new radiation detection devices, it was announced in October. The 46 detectors, purchased for $110,000 by the Department of Transportation, can discover low-level radioactive material carried by vehicles. They will be used to help ensure compliance with state transportation regulations and in accidents involving radioactive spillage. The equipment will be calibrated and maintained by the Department of Nuclear Safety.

Consumer complaint ratios on insurance

The Illinois Department of Insurance has changed the method by which it calculates consumer complaint ratios on car, homeowner, life, accident and health insurance. The department now uses ratios calculated on the total number of policies a company has in force, instead of on the number of premiums written by a company. The department hopes the new system will make insurance statistics more understandable to the consumer. The new consumer complaint ratios, which were issued in July, can be obtained by writing the Department of Insurance, Consumer Services Section, 320 W. Washington, Springfield, IL 62767.

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