MNA Nurses and Health Professionals Voice Strong Opposition to Governor's Proposal to Close Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, Depriving the State's Most Severely Disabled Children of State-of-the-Art Care and Services that Allow them to Live the Fullest Life Possible

CANTON, Mass., Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses and health professionals represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, including those working in the state operated public health hospitals and other state agencies, are voicing their strong opposition to a budget proposal by Governor Maura Healey being announced today that calls for the closure of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, a Canton-based facility providing state-of-art, medical, developmental, educational and recreational services for children with severe disabilities and other conditions, services that can't be provided by the private sector or that can't be matched in any other setting. 

Editor's Note: The state's web page for Pappas includes a link to a compelling video about the facility, its clients and services which is narrated by famed actor and advocate Alan Alda.  We urge all media covering this issue to view that video to better understand the role and value of this program, as well as to underscore the folly of the administration's decision to deprive these services to this most vulnerable population. A link to the video can be found here. 

Established more than 120 years ago, the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, formerly known as the Massachusetts Hospital School, compromises more than 160 acres and specializes in providing residential medical care, education and comprehensive rehabilitation services to children and young adults (age 7 – 22) with physical and cognitive disabilities as well as chronic and medically complex conditions requiring hospital level care.  Services provided at Pappas include comprehensive 24/7 nursing care, therapeutic services including speech and language, occupational, physical and recreational therapies; transitional programing to advance independent living skills, on site education, rehabilitation engineering to provide adaptive equipment and assistive technology services, custom designed to empower clients to live as independently as possible.

The Pappas grounds include a junior sized Olympic swimming pool, pond onsite for water-based sports and activities and a barn and equestrian track for equestrian rehabilitation services.

The Governor's plan calls for the shuttering of this expansive facility dedicated solely to the care of children and young adults, and moving these clients to Western Mass Hospital in Westfield, one of the state's public health hospitals that is already at over 90 percent capacity and serves a predominantly adult population with few of the specialized amenities and services provided by Pappas. 

"There is no way these children can receive the level of care and education at Western Mass Hospital or any other setting," said Karen Leahy, a nurse at the facility who has worked there for more than 13 years. "This is a true jewel of a program where staff view our clients like family, where we don't see disability, but only how we can maximize all of their abilities and experiences." 

According to Michelle Sweeney, who directs the hospital's physical therapy program, "The biggest advantage of Pappas is in the full range of therapy, medical care and other services they receive across all settings.  At Western Mass Hospital, we expect they will receive, at most, one-on-one tutoring for education, while at Pappas, we are able to offer customized education in a classroom setting, and by integrating their therapy needs throughout the day. Recreational activity is ongoing and comprehensive on par with what they would receive in a traditional school.  The other advantage we offer is the therapeutic interventions and guidance on how to be fully involved in community activities. This includes things like teaching our patients how to maneuver through stores in their adaptive equipment, utilizing communication and other life skills to make purchases like movie tickets or concessions and becoming more independent with other activities of daily living. Our patients also get the experience of going on adaptive skiing trips, and community outings to Red Sox and Celtics games.   Pappas is the only place that can allow for the most medically compromised children and young adults to succeed to their highest potential and this is far different than the level of care and services they may be subject to at any other setting."

The Massachusetts Nurses Association represents 75 RNs and health professionals working at Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, including nurses, physicians, physical, speech and occupational therapists, many of whom have worked at the facility for decades.  It is important to note that the staff has a level of experience and expertise in caring for this population that is unique and hard to duplicate.  In moving the service to Western Mass there is no guarantee staff will be able to relocate to the facility, and it will be very difficult to find equally competent staff to maintain the quality of care. 

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association