A New Jersey assemblyman is proposing closing five of the state’s seven institutions. The funding now going toward those facilities — at a rate of $227,000 per resident — would then be used to support those individuals in community-based care.

Opposition is expected from labor unions who represent workers at the institutions and from families who believe that round-the-clock care is best. But, Assemblyman Louis Greenwald says community-based care would be far cheaper and more appropriate for the 21st century. Already advocates are mixed about the proposal and warn that even if the facilities are closed, cost savings can take time to materialize, reports The Star-Ledger. To read more here.

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