YAKIMA VALLEY SCHOOL MEMBERS PACK HEARING ROOM AGAINST CLOSURE

About 30 Yakima Valley School members packed a House hearing room Thursday as a committee considered alternatives to closure.

They had come from Selah across the mountains to Olympia on short notice to emphasize the devastating impact of any closure. They passed out photos showing the valuable facility to members of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.

“I am here to put a face on the people we are talking about,” said Local 1326 President Julianne Moore, who works at Yakima Valley School.

Moore disputed the contention of those who want to close the school that minimizes the impact. Most of the 87 residents have “severe, profound mental retardation, she said, and 80 percent require total physical assistance, including eating, dressing, toileting and bathing.

“Yakima Valley School is fact these people’s home,” Moore said. “Their parents may not live in Selah, but they have chosen Yakima Valley School as the home for their child.”

Federation Lobbyist Matt Zuvich said the DSHS Division of Developmental Disabilities had been given a difficult task in trying to cut spending.

“But we think closing Yakima Valley School is just the wrong way to save money…,” he said.

“For the sake of saving just a little over $1 million in general funds, we’re going to disrupt and endanger the lives of some 90 of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Closing the facility will take away 3,000 respite care hours every year and throw 200 expert caregivers onto the unemployment rolls, he said.

“This proposal really symbolizes how a budget can sacrifice the needs of those who rely on the government for their wellness and subsistence,” Zuvich said.