DPH says 'pause' taken on Pappas hospital plan; parents and staff press for clarity

The Department of Public Health told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means on April 7 that the administration will “pause” previously announced steps to relocate Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and convene a working group to study options for the campus and the program.

Dr. Goldstein, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health (testifying as “Dr. Goldstein” in committee), told members that a pause means returning to operations as they existed in December 2024: “A pause to me means we go back to where we were in December 2024. The facility continues to operate exactly the way it was operating in December.” She said the hospital had already reduced to a single operative unit (the Nelson Unit) with capacity for 45 pediatric beds because of infrastructure limits and evolving clinical needs.

Committee members and family advocates said the pause had not resolved urgent concerns. Lawmakers described numerous calls and emails from parents and staff who said planning and public reporting had prompted discharges, limited admissions and uncertainty among educators and caregivers. Representative Jim Hawkins and others said families were worried operations and supports (for example aquatic therapy, therapeutic riding and school programming) were being curtailed even while DPH and the working group continued study.

DPH described the context that led to the review: the facility’s physical plant and the patient population have changed in recent years. The commissioner told the committee that the census has fluctuated — 32 children were in care at the time of testimony — and that admissions and discharges have continued under the pause. She emphasized the goal of matching facility capacity to clinical need and noted that many pediatric patients at Pappas require technology‑dependent care such as mechanical ventilation.

DPH officials said they will use the working group to study options across several state‑owned public‑health campuses, including Tewksbury and the western Massachusetts campus, and to consider whether facilities can be repurposed, renovated or consolidated to serve children with complex medical and behavioral health needs. The department reiterated its legal obligation to maintain educational services for children currently housed on the campus and said it will coordinate with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on schooling for in‑house students.

Representatives asked whether agency actions since the relocation proposal constituted a de‑facto wind‑down; DPH said admissions and discharges would continue and that the department did not want to hold children in hospital beds past the point that discharge to an appropriate next setting is clinically indicated. The working group will include agency and legislative representatives and, the department said, will assess clinical need, facilities, staffing and capital requirements before recommending a course of action.

Ending note: The committee accepted DPH’s commitment to the pause and formation of a working group but members pressed the agency for clearer communication with hospitals, families and school staff so decisions during the review do not create irreversible changes to patient flow or staffing before a final determination is made.