Earlier this week, Governor Healey announced that the Administration would be pausing the closure of two state hospitals that were on the precipice of being shut down. NAGE has been working to stop the closure of both of these hospitals, which provide crucial services for their communities, and jobs for many NAGE members.
"Over the past few weeks, I have heard directly from patients, families and staff about the important role that Pappas Rehabilitation Hospitals for Children and Pocasset Mental Health Center play in their communities," the governor said in a statement issued earlier this week. "I'm deeply grateful for their feedback, as well as for the hard work of our teams at the Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health, who are focused on ensuring that all patients receive the high-quality, modernized, specialized care they need and deserve. At this time, I've directed them to pause their plans to close Pappas and Pocasset so that we can bring together a diverse group of stakeholders - including patients, families, labor, local officials, and medical professionals - to conduct a further review of the care offered at these facilities and make recommendations on the best path forward to ensure we are providing the highest quality of care with the resources at hand."
Following pressure from the Unions representing hospital employees and the public alike, the Governor toured the Pappas Hospital with NAGE National President David J. Holway to get a first-hand look at the services that would be lost if the hospital closed. Pressure from the Governor's Labor Council, on which NAGE Vice President Chris Cook holds a seat, remained consistent as well.
The Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and Pocasset Mental health Center had both been slated to close later in 2025, with Pappas relocating to Western MA and Pocasset closing completely. We are grateful for the Healey Administration for listening to community feedback and agreeing to take another look at the plan to close the hospitals.
Comments