Gov. Purdue Announces Olmstead Agreement Signed

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Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that state officials signed a voluntary compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights that formalizes an effort to transition mentally ill and developmentally disabled Georgians out of state hospitals.

"Every Georgian who faces mental illness or developmental disabilities has the right to be treated in a way that not only ensures the best outcome, but allows for the highest quality of life," said Gov. Perdue. "We've worked hard to make this agreement work, and the state of Georgia is committed to completing this effort."

Under the Olmstead Strategic Plan, Georgia has worked for years to make quality community services more available to those with mental and developmental disabilities. The Olmstead Plan was created after a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court
ruling (L.C. & E.W. vs. Olmstead) that interpreted the Americans with Disabilities Act to mean that states must provide appropriate services for the disabled in the most integrated setting (i.e., where individuals can interact with non-disabled people to the fullest extent possible).