Gov. Dave Heineman said he takes responsibility for problems at the Beatrice State Developmental Center but expects the situation will "greatly improve over the next year."

Heineman's comments came during a Thursday morning talk show on KLIN that gave him a chance to respond to the Lincoln Journal Star's front-page Sunday editorial criticizing his leadership in this area.

"There have been a lot of challenges. I accept that responsibility," said Heineman, who as governor oversees the state Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the public institution for people with developmental disabilities in Beatrice.

The center expects to lose federal Medicaid funding and anticipates spending the next 18 months to two years working on getting recertified with the federal Medicaid program.

BSDC also is making improvements and encouraging more residents to move into community programs under a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to avoid a federal civil rights lawsuit.

There are no easy answers to the question of how the center's problems started, but in part, BSDC did not move quickly enough from a focus on custodial care to what is called "active treatment," meaning at least five hours of active treatment each day, Heineman said on the radio show.

"The federal government changed its policy. They want people in more integrated settings (community programs, not institutions). They want people to have the opportunity to engage in active treatment."

Many parents were happy with the more traditional care, Heineman noted.

It is easy to look back and see how things might have been done differently, he said. "But the key is the future. We need to get there as quickly as we can."

Heineman said he expects that when the Special Olympics USA begins in Lincoln next summer the state will be well on its way to straightening out BSDC and strengthening community-based care.

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.