Chambers et al. v. City and County of San Francisco

September 18, 2008
Judge Alsup approved the settlement agreement in Chambers et al. v. City and County of San Francisco. The settlement will prevent unnecessary institutionalization and increase community-based housing and service options in San Francisco. The Chambers press release has additional information.

Settlement of San Francisco Lawsuit to Create New Community Services for Seniors and Adults With Disabilities

November 27, 2007
San Francisco, California — Mitch Katz, San Francisco’s director of public health, announced today that a preliminary settlement has been reached in the civil rights class action regarding expanded community-based living options for seniors and people with disabilities in San Francisco (Chambers et al. v. the City and County of San Francisco). The results will be improved coordination of care and greatly increased housing options and other services. The new program, called “Success at Home” will provide people with “a single door to independent living,” said Katz. “We are very pleased to be taking this innovative next step.”

Laguna Honda Residents Sue San Francisco for Discrimination

October 13, 2006
Residents of Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, the nation’s largest public nursing home, have filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that they are unnecessarily confined at the facility and are capable of living in their own homes or in the community, a claim supported by the 1999 US Supreme Court Olmstead decision.

Laguna Honda Press Release

October 13, 2006
San Francisco, California — Six residents of Laguna Honda Hospital, joined by the Independent Living Resource Center (ILRCSF) in San Francisco, filed a class-action lawsuit, Mark Chambers et al. v. City and County of San Francisco, in federal court to challenge San Francisco’s discriminatory actions resulting in their unnecessary confinement at Laguna Honda Hospital, a more than 1,000- bed nursing facility owned and operated by the City. The plaintiffs are capable of, and would prefer to live in their own homes or in the community.

Class-Action Lawsuit Demands Real Homes not Nursing Homes

July 13, 2000
San Francisco, California — Ten plaintiffs will be filing a class action lawsuit in United States District Court on July 12, 2000, seeking access to community-based long-term care services to avoid unnecessary institutionalization in nursing facilities. The lawsuit alleges that the City and County of San Francisco, as well as several state agencies, are discriminating against people with disabilities by failing to utilize existing Medicaid funding and other funding sources for home and community-based services, instead committing the vast majority of available funding to institutional care. A de facto policy bias toward institutional care persists at the expense of home and community based alternatives.