COFAR opposes Healey’s decision to close two state-run hospitals
COFAR is joining state employee unions in opposing a decision by the Healey administration to close two state-run hospitals — one for persons under 22 with developmental disabilities and the other for individuals with mental illness.
The 60-bed Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital in Canton offers medical, rehabilitative, educational and recreational services for persons with developmental disabilities up to the age of 22, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). The administration plans to move the hospital’s programs to the state-run Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield.
The Pocasset Mental Health Center is a 16-bed facility that serves persons with mental illness.
“The Healey administration does not realize the importance of preserving state-owned and operated facilities that offer a comprehensive set of services to some of our most vulnerable residents,” said Thomas J. Frain, COFAR’s president. “These are unique assets whose closure may provide some short-term savings. But there will be a long-term detrimental impact to the state and taxpayers if these assets are eliminated.”
COFAR has long expressed concern that the administration has a policy of allowing the Wrentham Developmental Center and the Hogan Regional Center — its two remaining state-run congregate care centers for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities – to close by attrition.
The Pappas Hospital in Canton hospital offers 24/7 nursing care, therapeutic services including speech and language therapies, and operates full-time classrooms. The hospital offers a wide range of recreational programs, including a therapeutic horseback riding program.
DDS facilities not targeted for similar budget cuts, but still face possible closure
The State House News Service reported that Administration and Finance officials said the closure of Pappas Hospital would save the state $31 million. The News Service also stated that Healey’s budget calls for reducing the volume of Department of Mental Health (DMH) case managers from 340 to 170.
Despite those planned cuts, Healey does not appear to be targeting the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) budget for major cuts in the coming year. She is proposing a $320.4 million or 18.9% increase in funding for corporate-run group homes.
The governor is also proposing needed though relatively modest increases in funding for the Wrentham and Hogan Centers, and for state-operated group homes in the DDS budget.
But the governor’s proposed funding increases for state-run DDS facilities do not appear to reflect an attempt to open the facilities to new admissions. That is despite the fact that thousands of individuals in the DDS system are reportedly waiting for residential placements.
We have seen a number of instances in which DDS clients have been placed in hospitals because group homes have been unable to care for them. This is despite the availability of beds in the Wrentham and Hogan facilities.
Colleen M. Lutkevich, a COFAR member and former COFAR executive director, was critical of Healey’s plan to move the Pappas Hospital programs to a state public health hospital in Westfield, in western Massachusetts. “Why can’t they duplicate those programs at the Wrentham Center, which is a half hour away, or even Hogan, which is still greater Boston?” Lutkevich asked.
“Families should not have to visit their kids three hours away,” Lutkevich added. “These are children who come home every weekend. This is truly ‘institutionalization’ – placing kids far away from their homes – in violation of DDS policies or ‘area of meaningful tie.'”
Lutkevich, a former high school guidance counselor, added that she supervised several students who were at the Pappas Hospital when she was a school counselor. “It’s wonderful place for teenagers – real friendship and camaraderie,” she said. “If they cannot keep it open they need to duplicate it and there is absolutely no reason for it to be so far away.”
Change.org petition
Please consider signing this petition calling for reconsideration of the decision to close Pappas Hospital.
COFAR blog 
It just continues the attempt to abolish facilities that provide excellent care. There are many disabled south and south East of Boston yet the government keeps closing them now another attempt, let’s pray they fail at doing so.
Save money on the backs of the disabled! So far this administration is not a friend of the disabled. Why prevent individuals from entering Wrentham or Hogan if that is what the individual, guardian, or parents want for their loved ones. Why close facilities that are enhancing the lives of the disabled. Pappas has been there for years (aka Mass Hospital school) it has served so many and many more should be able to get the same care.
Regulations apply until the government doesn’t want it to.
It is a sorry state we are in when our Massachusetts citizens have to continually fight to try and get the services our disabled need and require to flourish.
I await the state audit so we all can see the waste that is going on in our state! Shame on our State government!
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This action by the Healey administration is shameful and a disgrace to the Commonwealth. It appears that it is all about the money, not what is in the best interests of those who are disabled and their families. What a sad state of affairs.
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I heard a spokesman for Healey say that these children would be better off living with their parents. How will the parents make a living when they are taking care of a loved one like this 24/7? There is always a grueling decision whenever a child is placed outside the home. No parent wants that, but in some cases, they have to do it because there is no other alternative. Healey is just picking on the most vulnerable because it’s easy for her. Those with severe disabilities is a small population and a small voting block. I hated when that spokeman said that it was better for the children. How could they virtue signal while doing something so terrible? Shameful.
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Shameful. This is what corporations do when they want to reduce staffing. Now parents have to choose between sending their children three hours away or keeping them home and making life much, much more difficult. That’s is a horrible choice and the children certainly pay the price.
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Our Govenor needs to find a way to save money but not on the backs of the disabled community. She is out there fighting for the illegal immigrants, spending how much on them, housing, food, medical, credit cards, phones, etc. yet I have not heard her out there fighting for the Massachusetts disabled citizens once. She is not a friend of the disabled at all. Vote her out!
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Our Governor has admitted to spending 1 billion a year on illegals for the past 3 years, but it is more like 2 to 3 billions of tax payer’s money. This in itself is illegal. Her priorities are not of the people. She’s taking money from anywhere she can at the cost of the citizens of Mass. Recently it’s been reported nation wide that Healy had let go an illegal that was a sex offender in Malden that made his way (he dresses as a woman) to NYC who brutally raped a young boy of 14. Everyone is in danger as long as she’s governor and prioritizes illegals.
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