Montgomery, AL – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has set the date to permanently close Alabama's last large institution for mentally disabled people.
Bentley announced Thursday the W.D. Partlow Developmental Center in Tuscaloosa will close on or before Nov. 30.
An earlier plan to close the facility in September was delayed so the governor could meet with Partlow residents and visit community and group facilities where residents would be moved.
Alabama has been moving mentally disabled people from large institutions to community-based facilities, such as group homes and assisted-living facilities, for several years. The department closed three other large institutions in 2003 and 2004. The department said it now has more than 6,000 people served in more than 100 community-based programs.
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