Tuscaloosa, AL – The state Department of Mental Health is closing Alabama's last large institution for the mentally disabled.
The department notified employees at the W.D. Partlow Development Center in Tuscaloosa that they plan to close it around Sept. 30 and transfer the 151 residents to smaller community settings.
The decision will affect more than 400 employees in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has been moving from large institutions to community-based facilities for several years. The department closed three other large institutions in 2003 and 2004. The department says it now has more than 6,000 people served in more than 100 community-based programs.
The state still has other institutions for the mentally ill.
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