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."
National Council on Independent Living honors DREDF’s Marilyn Golden
July 9, 2007
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) acknowledged DREDF's Marilyn Golden for her leadership in opposing assisted suicide bills in the California legislature. NCIL awarded Ms. Golden the NCIL Region IX Advocacy Award for her dedication to promoting the rights of people with disabilities and advancing the Independent Living movement.
Laguna Honda Hospital
October 13, 2006
In 2006, six residents of Laguna Honda Hospital, joined by the Independent Living Resource Center (ILRCSF) in San Francisco, filed a class-action lawsuit 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 suite alleged that the plaintiffs were capable of, and would prefer to live in their own homes or in the community. In September 2008, Judge William Alsup approved a settlement that greatly increased community-based housing, service options and coordination of care.
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.
Laguna Honda Hospital Lawsuit Settles
December 18, 2003
Judge Saundra B. Armstrong of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, today preliminarily approved settlement of a class action lawsuit against San Francisco and several State agencies brought on behalf of present and potential residents of Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) and the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco (ILRCSF). "This settlement represents a positive first step in establishing the rights of people with disabilities, including seniors, to receive services in their homes and communities rather than in institutions," says Kim Swain, lead counsel in the case from the Oakland office of Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI), a non-profit agency that works to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
Judge Says Laguna Honda Residents Can Sue City of San Francisco
July 14, 2001
San Francisco, California — Judge Saundra Armstrong of the U.S. District Court has upheld the rights of several people with disabilities who live at Laguna Honda Hospital, and the Independent Living Center San Francisco, to pursue a lawsuit alleging that the City and County of San Francisco is violating their civil rights.
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.