3282

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the
Maryland Department of State Planning and the Office on
Aging jointly study the feasibility of converting or
adapting surplus State buildings and their property sites to
continuing care communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That should these agencies find this idea
feasible, they should encourage and promote this plan as a
priority State use; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the
Secretary of the Department of State Planning; Constance
Leider, 301 West Preston Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201;
and Dr. Matthew Tayback, Director, Office on Aging, 310 West
Preston Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.

Signed May 12, 1981.

No. 10

(Senate Joint Resolution No. 61)

A Senate Joint Resolution concerning

Deinstitutionalization

FOR the purpose of recognizing deinstitutionalization as a
high priority of the State.

WHEREAS, The Maryland General Assembly's Legislative
Policy Committee established the Joint Oversight Committee
on Deinstitutionalization for the purpose of conducting a
review and evaluation of deinstitutionalization in the
mental hygiene and mental retardation programs in the State
of Maryland. This issue is of deep concern to the
legislature and remains the number one priority of the
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and

WHEREAS, Deinstitutionalization defined as the process
of preventing both unnecessary admission to and retention of
people in large State hospitals, finding and developing
appropriate alternatives in the community for housing,
treatment, training, education, and rehabilitation of
persons who do not need to be in State hospitals, and
improving conditions, care and treatment for those who need
to be in hospitals, focuses on people and humane programs
for Maryland citizens rather than on places for people; and

WHEREAS, Several major stumbling blocks to the
development of a deinstitutionalization process for Maryland
continually surfaced in the testimony received by the Joint
Committee and including (1) the absence of high level
responsibility and accountability for a
deinstitutionalization process; (2) the lack of overall