TEXAS
Disabilities agency commissioner to retire
Addie Horn faced tough question from lawmakers about safety at state-supported schools.
By Corrie MacLaggan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, June 26, 2009
Addie Horn, who as commissioner of the Department of Aging and Disability Services oversees the troubled state institutions for Texans with mental disabilities, announced Thursday that she is retiring Aug. 31.
Horn, who has spent three decades in government health and human services jobs in Texas, took the helm in 2006 at the department, which has 16,400 workers and an annual budget of $6.1 billion in state and federal dollars.
 Harry Cabluck/ASSOCIATED PRESS Addie Horn faced tough questions about safety. |
"It has been my privilege, and one that I have never taken for granted, to have served individuals who are aging and have disabilities," said Horn, who started her career as a direct-care worker at what was then called Austin State School and did a stint in the private sector in Indiana and New Mexico.
Horn faced tough questions from lawmakers during the recent legislative session over the state schools, newly renamed state supported living centers. The 13 facilities have been under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which in December told Gov. Rick Perry that they fail to protect residents from harm.
In March, Corpus Christi police said that employees of the institution there organized fights among residents. Texas earlier this year reached a settlement with the federal agency, and lawmakers increased requirements for oversight and security at the facilities.
Cecilia Fedorov, a spokeswoman for the Department of Aging and Disability Services, said Horn's retirement is not related to the issues at the state supported living centers.
"She's actually been contemplating this for quite a while," Fedorov said. "She just feels it's time to move to the next phase of her life and let someone else take the reins."
State Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, said that Horn "worked tirelessly" on behalf of vulnerable Texans.
"Unfortunately, due primarily to a lack of agency funding and overworked staff problems, there were issues that were difficult to meaningfully address during her tenure," said Naishtat, referring to the living centers.
Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins, who is also retiring Aug. 31, did not immediately name an interim replacement for Horn. It's unlikely that Hawkins will be around to select the permanent replacement, said Geoff Wool, a spokesman for Hawkins.
"Addie's tenure as DADS commissioner has been one of strong leadership on behalf of individuals who need her agency's services, no matter the setting or disability," Hawkins said in a statement.
Horn's department regulates Texas' nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospices and home health care agencies, and hires mostly private groups to run home- and community-based services.
State Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, whose district includes Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center, said he hopes the officials who choose the next department commissioner keep in mind that "there's still a lot of work that needs to be done with ensuring the safety and well-being" of residents of the living centers.
cmaclaggan@statesman.com; 445-3548
