Employees at the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children say there’s been an uptick in discharges but no new admissions in the months since Gov. Maura Healey announced a pause in the proposed closure of the facility.
The 160-acre live-in facility provides medical, rehabilitative, educational and recreational services to children and young adults with multiple disabilities.
More than a dozen nurses, patients and teachers gathered in Canton on Wednesday to protest the limited use of the facility and urge for its continued operation. They held signs that read “Kids are waiting, Pappas is ready, admit patients NOW” and “Put patients first: Stop discharges.”
Michael Poirier, former student and employee of Pappas, said the state-run hospital’s actions have not respected the pause Healey announced. “The same day, hospital administrators sent out an email saying 'There is no pause. Discharges will continue.’”
The state disputed the notion that it is winding down operations, saying that it has admitted 16 patients since January.
In a statement, Dr. Khelda Jabbar, Chief Medical Officer of the Public Health Hospital System and Pappas Hospital, said “While the relocation and expansion of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children into Western Massachusetts Hospital is paused, both facilities continue to operate, which includes admitting, discharging, and relocating patients when clinically appropriate, as decided by the admission committee and the multidisciplinary team.” Jabbar added, “This community placement work is unrelated to the pause or future of the facility.”
David Schildmeier, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents a lot of the staff at Pappas, said many of the discharged patients are wards of the state who have “decompensated” after being discharged.
“Change for these children is extremely traumatic,” he said.
Ann Macdonald has cerebral palsy and was a patient there for four years. She said the skills she learned helped her become more independent. Prior to Pappas, Macdonald was living in China, where she would spend most days sitting at home.
Her caregivers used to think she was being lazy on purpose.
“It breaks my heart because they’re just pushing me away. But at Pappas, people completed my heart,” Macdonald said. “I think the place should be keep it open forever.”
She imagines the looming closure would make patients feel like they have nowhere to go.
Schildmeier said staff hope the facility will be in operation at least one more year.
“This is really a jewel of a program. It’s one of a kind. This is a population that desperately needs this level of services,” Schildmeier said. “We hope that through the working group and through the Legislature, we can preserve this program.”
