Jacksonville Developmental Center

The Jacksonville Developmental Center is one of 9 developmental centers operated by the Illinois Department of Human Services in Illinois.  The center provides residential services to approximately 265 individuals. Many of the people residing at the center have complex medical and psychiatric issues that require significant medical support. To help ensure quality care to the people served, the Jacksonville Developmental Center fostered a collaborative relationship with the Division of Developmental Disabilities.  This relationship enabled the development and implementation of a comprehensive “out-patient” clinic model to serve residents at the center.

The “out-patient” clinic model is supported by three primary care physicians, a full time psychiatrist, a medical director, three nurses and three support staff.  Specialty care is offered through relationships within the local medical community of Jacksonville, Illinois and with specialists from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Many specialists from the Medical University provide services through our out-patient clinical setting which enables excellent continuity of care.  Individuals requiring acute hospitalization or advanced procedures and surgery are generally referred to Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois or the Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois.

Our goals for developing the “out-patient clinic model” include:·

-Reduce medical intervention at the “living environment”
     -Fostering a more “home-like” environment for persons served

-Desensitize persons served to the “medical office experience”
     -Prepare individuals for integration into the community

-Provide a consumer oriented delivery system
     -Allow individuals to schedule their medical visits with their physician
     -Enable clients to choose their own physician

-Centralize costly medical equipment and other resources

- Improve continuity of care by enhancing
     -Follow-up to resolution on acute medical issues
     -Close monitoring of chronic medical condition
     -Ensure timely consultations
     -Efficiently monitor the status of all external consultations, laboratory data and procedures
     -Improved access to regularly updated medical records

-Enable professional collegiality
     -Foster close working relationship between staff physicians
         -Physician-physician collaboration – “curb siding”
     -Enhance communication between consultants and staff physicians
     -Improve access to allied medical professionals
     -Ensure close collaboration between psychiatrist and primary care physician

Since implementing the out-patient model, data on health care delivery suggests marked improvements in preventive care, follow-up to resolution, acute care, chronic care, improved working relationships among physicians and other staff and continuity of care.