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Mental‑health providers and families urge Legislature to block proposed DMH cuts; cite Pappas, Pocasset and case‑management losses
Summary
Families, clinicians and union representatives warned that proposed FY‑26 reductions at the Department of Mental Health — including plans discussed to close or down‑size Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and cuts to DMH case management — would displace medically complex children, increase ER boarding and raise costs elsewhere in state
Caregivers, clinical staff and unions told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means that proposed reductions to Massachusetts Department of Mental Health services pose immediate risks to medically complex children and adults and would likely increase hospital and public‑safety costs.
Multiple witnesses described the treatment role played by Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton and Pappas‑style services in other regions. “Pappas is like the human body — nurses are the heart, therapists are the muscles,” said patient Louis Bellos, who has lived at Pappas for three years and told lawmakers the facility “taught me to be defined by my abilities, not my disabilities.” Pappas staff and family members…
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