Avert Rolland Tragedy

People Worth Protecting

Background & Overview

• Seven Hills Pediatric Center »

• The De-Institualization Movement »

• Rolland Vs. Patrick Settlement Agreement »

• The Opposition By The Seven Hills Families »

• Our Outrage »

• Our Thanks »

Sign Our Petition

Please go to The Petition Site and sign our petition and show the world you care.

In this, and the next few pages, we want to provide general information on the Seven Hills Pediatric Center and a brief history of the legal struggles we are facing to protect our family members. This is not a fight we can win alone, any and all support you can lend to help our cause is greatly appreciated.

The De-Institualization Movement

Since the 1970s, there has existed an originally well-intentioned movement to take individuals inappropriately placed in nursing homes and mental institutions away from those settings and find ways for them to live “in the community,” for example in small group homes. An individual who suffers from mental retardation may be capable of living on his or her own with a modest amount of professional assistance, even perhaps holding a job (for instance, helping to bag groceries at a supermarket). In the late 1990s, attorneys representing an individual named Loretta Rolland and a few other named individuals brought suit against the state of Massachusetts to require that Rolland and other mentally retarded individuals then being cared for in nursing homes should be helped to live in community settings. This suit has gone through several stages at which Massachusetts agreed to move certain numbers of individuals out of nursing homes and into community settings on certain timetables. A Court Monitor has overseen the process. The Court Monitor’s web site provides substantial information about the history of the case. It can be viewed here. (Link will open in new window)

Background Part 3:
Rolland Vs. Patrick Settlement Agreement »

© 2008-2013 Seven Hills Pediatric Center Family Council
* These pages constitute a repository of recent historical information and no longer concern an active suit.