Intermediate-care facility Q&A

Advertiser Staff

Q. How many intermediate- care facilities for the mentally retarded are there?

A. The state Department of Health said there are 18 such facilities: nine run by The Arc in Hawaii, three run by Opportunities for the Retarded Inc., three run by Research Center of Hawaii, two run by Arc of Maui and one at Kula Hospital on Maui.

Q. Where can I learn more about them?

A. The state Department of Health maintains information on the facilities on its Web site at state.hi.us/doh/resource/ohca/medicare/index.html.

Q. How many mentally retarded adults live in each facility with a live-in manager?

A. State officials say usually between four or five adults live in the intermediate-care facilities for the mentally retarded, which require more nursing staff and treatment programs. One of the facilities that has closed had seven residents.

Q. What happens to the residents when these facilities close?

A. Health Department official Dianne Okumura said all of the clients of the two facilities that closed were transferred to another facility except for one that was placed with family members.