In January, the state shared plans to relocate services provided at Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital in Canton to Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, Mass., by the fall. At the time, state officials said the shift was necessary due to deteriorating conditions at the Canton facility. The move was expected to save the state about $31 million, according to budget proposals cited by NBC affiliate WGBX-TV.
Pocasset Mental Health Center, a 16-bed psychiatric hospital, would have closed entirely.
News of the closures drew pushback from more than 14,300 community members, who petitioned the governor to scrap the plans, according to ABC affiliate WCVB.
On Feb. 25, Ms. Healey directed the state’s departments of public health and mental health to pause the closure plans, “so that we can bring together a 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.”
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