CANTON, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey will revisit her plan to close a Canton pediatric rehab and relocate services to western Mass., according to Congressman Stephen Lynch.
Lynch and other lawmakers Friday toured state-run Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, which provides treatment, education, recreation and transitional services for disabled children and young adults.
“They’re doing God’s work,” Lynch said of the level of care by staff at the facility, “and I only use that term occasionally. But really, if you see the plight of these children and the tender, personal care and love that they are receiving here at Pappas, it really is a very special place and worth saving.”
Last week, as part of the Commonwealth’s new budget, Healey announced the state’s intentions to shutter the campus and move services to Western Massachusetts Hospital, after a Dept. of Public Health review found Pappas lacked the modernized care patients with critical needs require. Healey said the buildings are aging and the conditions are poor with no room in the budget for expensive upgrades the patients deserve.
“It’s a hard thing for the workforce in that facility. It’s a hard thing for the families whose loved ones are in these facilities,” Healey said last week. “So, we don’t make these proposals lightly.”
The proposal has prompted fierce pushback from current and former Pappas patients, their families, community members and local legislators. Thousands have signed a petition urging the state to save the facility.
On Friday, Lynch said he spoke to Healey and she agreed to take a closer look at all options for Pappas.
“I’m delighted with the governor’s decision to sort of take a second look at this and figure out: Is there a better way that we might address the situation here at Pappas?” Lynch said. “The governor has engaged in a deeper discussion and a more thorough consideration about possible next moves. So, that is good news in the very short term for the residents here.”
Gov. Healey did not comment on whether the closure will be halted, but a spokesperson for her office told Boston 25 News in a statement Friday:
“Our administration appreciates the feedback we’ve received from patients, families, employees, labor and elected officials. We all share the same goal of ensuring high-quality, modernized and specialized care for the young people we serve, as well as supporting our hardworking employees. We look forward to continued collaboration on the path forward to provide the best setting for these children.”
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