Senator Rodríguez on state center changes: Good start, but there is more work to be done

El Paso — During a conference call this morning, Commissioner Chris Traylor of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) informed El Paso’s state legislative delegation that Jaime Monardes has resigned as director of the El Paso State Supported Living Center. Al Barrera, the current director of the State Supported Living Center (SSLC) in Richmond, TX, will take over as interim director of the El Paso SSLC until a permanent replacement for Monardes is hired. This process is expected to take several weeks.

In an additional effort to address the concerns and issues brought forth by the families of the residents at the El Paso SSLC, Commissioner Traylor has worked to bring back a previous family services liaison who has a record of positive relations with the families of the residents at the El Paso SSLC. Olga Arciniega will resume her position today, and she will report directly to the DADS Commissioner and SSLC staff in Austin.

In response to these changes, Senator Rodríguez released the following statement:

“I am pleased that Commissioner Traylor has taken these important steps; they will help to begin regaining the trust of the family members of those who receive services at the El Paso State Supported Living Center. There is, however, much more work that needs to be done in order to completely resolve all of the issues that have been raised by the families. I am committed to seeing this process through and finding solutions to those problems.”

On a related note, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was in El Paso last week and is carrying out an ongoing investigation into the claims made against the El Paso State Supported Living Center.
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