Governor Maura Healey is pausing plans to shut down one of only two in-patient, mental health facilities on Cape Cod.
Last month, she announced her initial plan to shutter the Pocasset Mental Health Center by the end of the year over state budget concerns. The 16-bed facility serves adults on Cape Cod and the Islands in need of mental health stabilization.
In a statement, Healey said her initial plans to close the facility — along with Canton-based Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children — changed after hearing overwhelming feedback from patients, families and staff in the last few weeks.
State Senator Dylan Fernandes, who opposed Healey’s plan, applauded the governor’s willingness to listen.
“We have a suicide rate that's almost 50% higher than the rest of the state,” he said. “So this facility is necessary, it’s needed, and it's saving lives. And, the governor, I think, understands that.”
But Healey stopped short of a reversal, saying she now wants to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders — including families, local officials, healthcare professionals, and patients — to review care and develop recommendations on the best path forward. Advocates for the Pocasset Mental Health Center say they’re cautiously optimistic about this process.
“You know, it's not a direct, ‘We're not ever going to close it.” But at least now we have time to show that there are other uses for Pocasset besides the already critical and invaluable services that we provide,” said Jean Calvert-McClure, a licensed, independent clinical social worker with the Department of Mental Health. Now a union representative, Calvert-McClure said she worked at Pocasset Mental Health Center for years.
"There's half the building empty, which could be utilized for added inpatient beds and perhaps an outpatient clinic," she continued, "which we desperately need for our clients so that we have the continuity of care with folks who are accustomed to working with our chronically mentally ill clients, which many in the community are not equipped to deal with."
In her latest statement, Healey did not address whether she was changing plans to cut the state’s mental health caseworker staff in half. If that happens, Calvert-McClure warned, 4,000 people across the state will lose access to state mental health services.
“We cannot lose our case managers. The case managers are literally the backbone of mental health services. Without them, our clients will end up in the emergency room. We will put more burden on EMS and the fire departments. We will see an increase in inpatient stays,” she warned. “This will be absolutely devastating and dangerous for our community.”
