Why does Florida place disabled kids in nursing homes?

The letter from the U.S. Department of Justice is probably the best place to start.

It suggests in a simple, unadorned way how Florida has abandoned its most vulnerable citizens. Over the course of 22 dispassionate pages, it makes a point-by-point case of many of the state's shortcomings in caring for children with extreme medical conditions.

It highlights how Florida's apparent inclination to herd helpless kids into geriatric nursing homes is not only a violation of federal law, but also leads to the unnecessary ruin of families and can be an impediment to developmental progress.

Or here's another way of saying it:

"From my perspective, what they're doing is almost like a legalized genocide,'' said Leslie Conway of Plant City. "They look at my son and say, 'He's of no value or worth to us, therefore we're not going to spend a lot of time or money helping him.'

"Whether that's true or not, I honestly don't know. But that's how it feels to me.


http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/why-does-florida-place-disabled-kids-in-nursing-homes/1250565