NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Family members who have severely disabled relatives recently were notified that they had two weeks to find their loved one a new care program.

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Nearly two dozen families who use the Rochelle Center for therapy and schooling were shocked by the sudden announcement, but the state announced they are intervening to resolve the situation.

Since the early 1980s, John Austin Jr., 48, has received five hours of care each day from the Rochelle Center. But at the end of January, Austin's family received an unsettling phone call.

"They were saying I guess you're aware that John is no longer going to be at Rochelle. 'I (said) 'excuse me? What are you talking about,'" said Austin's sister Cynthia Davis.

Rochelle gave 21 of its most severely disabled clients two weeks to vacate the premise, a result of state cuts handed down in November.

The cuts caused about a 13 percent loss in funding to the group that Austin was a part of.

"They contend they cannot provide the service at this level of care, and if that's true that's fine, but they have to give me an option of securing other services," said Steve Norris, the commissioner of the state's mental retardation services. "The two weeks is not acceptable. The contract allows for at least a 60-day notice."

Norris stepped in to halt the removal of the patients.

After talks with the Rochelle Center, Norris met Tuesday with affected families and assured them that Rochelle's doors will stay open for now.

"All of the providers across the state received the same type of cut. No other providers that I know of have gone to this level or degree," said Tonya Copeland of Evergreen Presbyterian Ministeries.

That detail is adding insult to injury to Austin's family.

"It seems personal. If it was a budget issue, you could kind of handle that a little bit better, but now it's personal," said Davis.

An attorney for the Rochelle Center said the goal is to proceed to deliberation. And now the center is in talks with the state trying to get a review of rates and financing so the center can not only help itself but also the clients it serves.

The state said the Rochelle Center will keep its doors open with continued quality of care for the 21 clients, at least in the short term.

Until other providers can be found, if that were to change, the state said it could sanction the center monetarily, withhold funding, or terminate the center's contract with the state.

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