The Community Alliance of Providers of Wisconsin (CAPOW) appreciates the generally balanced story ("Local care is the thing," June 19) exploring what you called the "trend" toward community-based care. We would, however, like to emphasize a couple of points that may give your readers a fuller picture of community-based care.

Community-based care has been around for 30 years and the system that is in place -- agencies overseen by both the county and the state provide vocational and residential support for people with disabilities -- is well-established, well-developed and, most importantly, up to the challenges inherent in caring for a vulnerable population.

In those three decades, Wisconsin's commitment to moving people from institutions into home-like settings has revolutionized the world of care for people with disabilities and their families. It has bettered the lives of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens.

Take Patrick Dumke, for example. He lives with three other guys in a residential facility in Oshkosh. When he left the institution in which he'd been placed, he was reclusive and withdrawn. Now, with the ability to personalize his own home, set his own schedule, help choose and prepare his meals, he has blossomed.

But let us be clear: As committed as we are to residential care, we also know that a small percentage of individuals have medical needs that are so intense, those individuals are best served in an institutional setting. We also believe that all workers who care for people with developmental disabilities are doing compassionate, caring work whether they work for an institution or in one of our community-based facilities.

Those of us charged with managing the community- based system are dedicated to doing all we can to ensure the safety and well-being of the people in our care.

There is accountability and oversight in the system. There are a number of very effective advocacy organizations working on behalf of individuals in residential settings such as the Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy and ARC-Wisconsin. Many of our clients also have guardians who take an active role.

In short, there are a number of organizations, governmental agencies and individuals looking over our shoulders, and we welcome that scrutiny. CAPOW and its members have worked with the Legislature and with the Department of Health and Family Services to strengthen regulations for oversight of our facilities.

CAPOW represents residential provider agencies, employing thousands of workers, who serve individuals in community-based settings in all 72 Wisconsin Counties. We know, and our and three decades of experience shows, that with the appropriate technology, funding and support, the vast majority of people with developmental disabilities thrive in home-like settings just like you and me.

We are proud of Wisconsin's community-based care system because it stands as a testament to what's best in our society: the commitment to lives of dignity, equal opportunity and independence for every citizen.

Leipzig is president of the Community Alliance of Providers of Wisconsin. She is also vice president of business development at Clarity Care in Oshkosh.