South Central Reporter

Republican state Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) is taking a stand for some of Illinois’ most vulnerable residents.

“This is the story on CILAs,” Meier posted on Facebook Friday. In the post, he also shared a recent KSDK news story about the state’s Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) program, in which up to eight unrelated adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities reside in taxpayer-funded group homes licensed by the State and operated by a private community development service agency.

Meier pointed to all the warning signs that have him and others worried that the program which boasts a mission of better integrating those individuals into society may be falling short of its overall goal.

“Somebody has got to be there to watch out for them,” he told KSDK. He also noted that he feels the state is not yet doing enough to protect some if its residents most in need.

For nearly a decade, Peggy Strong said her daughter Marjorie lived in a CILA facility located in Pinckneyville, adding that the experience of it remains so vivid to her for all the wrong reasons.

“We had 30 to 40 ER visits in less than three years," she said. "My daughter almost died. People look the other way. They neglect them. They don't give them what they need."

Strong explained that her daughter suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as Phelan-McDermid, and at the facility she was not getting the around-the-clock care she needs. Marjorie also suffers from muscular dystrophy and a stomach ulcer that makes it difficult for her to keep food down.

“Every system in her body — respiratory, pulmonary, digestive — they were all conflicting and fading,” Strong said. “She was failing. I don’t think she was getting fed."

Furthermore, she said that doctors told her to plan for the end.

“We had hospice on standby,” Strong added.

There is now a push calling for more oversight over the agency after a new state audit released late last month summed up how improvements made to the system over the last few years fall short of all that needs to be done, including implementing regulations that establish required industry standards.

Meier was first elected to the Illinois House in 2013, the House website said. His legislative experience includes serving on the Agriculture & Conservation and International Trade & Commerce committees. He resides in Okawville.