Baldwin County Commission Backs ARC Baldwin Decertification Appeal; Hearing Set for January

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Commission has formally put its support behind ARC of Baldwin County, unanimously approving a resolution backing the shuttered nonprofit in the ARC Baldwin decertification fight over the state’s decision to close its group homes and day programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The vote came during the commission’s Tuesday morning meeting in Bay Minette. Commission President Jeb Ball, who represents District 1, said he hopes the resolution will help ARC Baldwin in its effort to win recertification and return to serving disabled residents. District 4 Commissioner Skip Gruber was not present for the meeting.

Meanwhile, an attorney representing ARC Baldwin said the organization’s appeal hearing on the decertification is scheduled for January. It remains unclear whether that hearing will be open to the public.

A judge’s request

The resolution was requested by Baldwin County District Judge Liam Scully, who previously had a child served by ARC Baldwin. After the state shut the organization down in July, Scully wrote a letter to the editor criticizing the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s decision to close it.

A county commission resolution carries no legal authority over a state certification decision. The Department of Mental Health, not the county, certifies providers that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the outcome of ARC Baldwin’s appeal will be decided through the state’s administrative process. But resolutions of support are a common way for local governing bodies to put their position on the record, and they can be submitted as part of a public case for an organization’s value to the community.

Why the state shut ARC Baldwin down

On July 1, 2026, ADMH Commissioner Kimberly Boswell sent a letter to ARC Baldwin Executive Director Kathy Fleet informing her that the nonprofit had been decertified and that all residents it served through a Medicaid waiver must be moved immediately. The organization’s other services were shut down as well.

The letter cited severe problems that state investigators said they found during a review conducted between January and March. Among the findings described in the letter were deaths of residents connected to a lack of compliance with medical care requirements, problems with “record integrity” and staffing issues, among others. ARC Baldwin had been operating under a provisional certification from the department because of past incidents before that review took place.

In all, the closure affected roughly 90 people served by ARC Baldwin and about 200 employees who worked there.

Parents and other relatives have said the shutdown was poorly carried out, telling reporters that many families were left in the dark until their loved ones were about to be moved or had already been relocated. At a meeting the department held for families in Fairhope, ADMH Associate Commissioner Camille Cumuze told attendees the department believed it had done the right thing in moving residents and closing the nonprofit, but acknowledged families should have been notified sooner. She declined to answer many of their questions, citing the pending appeal.

The road to the January hearing

ARC Baldwin has disputed the state’s decision from the start. In early July, it filed a petition in Baldwin County Circuit Court arguing that it had received no notice that the department intended to decertify it and no chance to respond at a public evidentiary hearing. The complaint called the commissioner’s decision arbitrary and based on an incomplete understanding of the facts.

The nonprofit later moved to dismiss that court challenge after the department agreed to give it an administrative hearing. ARC Baldwin attorney Deven Moore said at the time that the court appeal had been filed because the state initially appeared unwilling to offer any administrative appeal. Charles Malone, a former Mobile legislator and circuit judge, was appointed as administrative law judge for the case.

The department has maintained that it followed the law and gave ARC Baldwin proper notice. Department officials have also said the hearing would be closed because of sensitive information about victims, a position that has frustrated families who say they want to see the evidence behind the closure. With the hearing now set for January, the question of public access remains unresolved.

If the administrative law judge rules in ARC Baldwin’s favor, its certification could be restored and services could resume. If the decision goes against the nonprofit, the department’s final decision can be appealed again to Baldwin County Circuit Court.

What families can do now

With ARC Baldwin closed while its appeal plays out, families of people it once served have had to turn to other providers. The department has pointed families toward roughly a dozen organizations that provide in-home support or day programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Baldwin County, including both established local providers and new ones brought into the area.

Families seeking services or help navigating Medicaid waiver options can contact the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Division of Developmental Disabilities through the department’s website, mh.alabama.gov. The Cindy Haber Center, which helps Baldwin County families connect with Medicaid-covered care, has reported fielding more than 150 calls from families of former ARC Baldwin clients since the closure.

Anyone with concerns about the safety or care of a person with a disability in Alabama can also contact the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, the state’s federally designated protection and advocacy organization, or report suspected abuse or neglect of an adult to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

About ARC of Baldwin County

ARC of Baldwin County operated group homes and a day facility for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Local Arc chapters across the country are affiliated with The Arc, a national advocacy organization founded by parents in 1950 to push for community-based services and the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For many Baldwin County families, the nonprofit was a long-term fixture in the lives of their loved ones, with some residents having lived with the same caregivers for years. That history is part of why its abrupt closure has drawn such a strong reaction, and why supporters, now including the county commission, are pressing for it to be given a chance to reopen.

For now, the nonprofit remains closed, its former residents are living with other providers, and the next major step in the dispute is the January hearing that will decide whether the state’s decision stands.