The Fifth District Appellate Court in Mt. Vernon has upheld an injunction preventing the transfer of residents from Murray Developmental Center in Centralia who are under the care of the state.
The Decision issued by the court Wednesday upholds a Clinton County Circuit Court ruling that requires a court appointed guardian to approve all transfer of patients out of Murray Center and into community based care facilities that are under the control of the Illinois Office of State Guardian.
Governor Pat Quinn forced the closure of Murray Center in 2012 as a cost cutting measure. The Governor wanted to transition developmentally disabled patients from the state facility to private community based care.
The Friends of Murray Center filed the original petition on behalf of 24 residents of Murray Center who are wards of the state. They claimed the state drastically accelerated the closure process and began transferring some residents into potentially substandard housing conditions and without regard to whether or not those facilities were appropriate for the level of care required by those residents.
The state asked the Fifth District Appellate Court to vacate the injunction.
