The Beatrice State Developmental Center will get even smaller — half its current size — as more residents move into group homes designed and staffed for the medically needy. 

The state institution that cares for people with developmental disabilities has 198 residents, but will drop to 90 to 120 residents over the next two years.

Those residents will primarily have serious behavior problems or mental illness, according to a tentative plan Gov. Dave Heineman discussed with state senators Thursday.

The state is working with local agencies that provide group homes to increase the residential programs available for people with more serious medical needs, creating an additional 50 to 75 residential spots, according to the plan.

Mosaic, a private nonprofit that operates several programs for people with developmental disabilities, will create a number of small, six-bed group homes, according to the document given senators.

In addition, ENCOR, the largest provider in the Omaha area, will open a second six-bed home with nursing staff on duty, for medically needy residents.

The draft plan is a realistic approach to resolving the problems surrounding BSDC, said Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, chairman of the BSDC special investigative committee, and one of the senators attending the meeting with Heineman.

The Beatrice center will lose its Medicaid funding this spring because of a series of federal inspections that showed problems at the institution. The state has also signed an agreement with the Department of Justice to make improvements so it can avoid a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Over the next two years, the state would make sure the center is recertified and can receive Medicaid funding and would work with community agencies to create more homes for people with higher medical needs, Lathrop said.

But he said he remains concerned about the people recently taken from the center to hospitals — and not just because of the two recent deaths that could have been caused by the stress of the move. At least six people have been moved into nursing homes, which are not the least restrictive environment, he said.

The goal of the governor’s plan and of the Justice Department settlement is to allow people to live in the most integrated setting possible, he noted.

This is a draft plan, one that will evolve as the situation changes, Heineman said. It shows the state remains committed to keeping BSDC open, he noted.

“There is an important role for BSDC,” Heineman said. “I want to stress that. I know there are advocacy groups that want to shut BSDC down. But for the most severe and most profoundly disabled, we do need a BSDC.”

The state expects the center will care for the most difficult to serve, said Kathie Osterman, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

That includes people with developmental disabilities who also have a serious mental illness or behaviors so risky they are a danger to themselves or cannot be safely served in the community, she said.

The state expects costs for these community homes for medically needy residents to be higher than the $200-a-day average for community care. But the cost will not exceed the current $600-a-day cost for BSDC residents, according to the plan.

A private consultant has been hired to determine the needs and proper placement level for each BSDC resident.  That independent assessment will help indicate how many people may be served in the community and how many will need to remain in Beatrice, Heineman said.

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