We developed this in order to unite people around a progressive Olmstead plan that challenges the shortcomings of Illinois peice-meal system of long term care.� We continue to spend more than 80% of Medicaid dollars on institutions long after the recognition that we violate peoples rights, cause incredible depths of depression and know that people do better in every conceivable way when they have control over their care decisions.�

We introduce this as a point of discussion.

We feel that only when the state is responding to direct consumer needs are they likely to do the right thing because we know that political donations from nursing home owners, providers and professional organizations often poison the water in Illinois. Their clout has oppressed our people in the past and only by mobilizing can we hope to confront this corrupt system.

The Consortium is a start but we need to reach out to many more constituencies and to put more consumers in the leadership of this movement.

As advocates we have not made Olmstead a known issue and to do that will require a media strategy, a protest strategy, and a legislator strategy to confront the forces we are pitted against.

Feel free to offer comments and to pass this information on.