MNA: Pappas Rehab Staff to Hold March 25th Press Conference to Announce Overwhelming Vote of No Confidence In DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein for "Actions that Represent the Abandonment of the Facility's Mission" to Care for the State's Most Vulnerable Children with Disabilities

After Goldstein failed in his effort to close the facility last year, Pappas staff and families continue to raise concerns about the DPH's ongoing effort to discharge Pappas patients while also failing to admit new patients currently languishing in acute care hospitals in need of Pappas-level care.

When: Wednesday, March 25 at 12 noon

Where: Outside the main entrance to the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital at 3 Randolph Street, Canton, MA

Who: Staff members from three unions representing workers at the facility will share their concerns for the patients and families served by Pappas and why they have cast this vote. They will also share a statement from the mother of a child in need of Pappas-level care who is being denied admission to the facility

The event will also be livestreamed on the MNA Facebook page: www.facebook.com/massnurses

CANTON, Mass., March 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Unionized caregivers/workers, at the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children will hold a press conference outside the facility at noon on Wednesday, March 25 to announce an overwhelming vote of "no confidence" in Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein for actions he has taken over the last year that "represent the abandonment of the vital mission of Pappas as a rehabilitation hospital" for children with significant disabilities. 

The vote was taken following an unrelenting effort over the last year to force the unwarranted discharge of the state's most vulnerable disabled children from the facility, while also failing to accept any long term admissions of new patients, severely disabled patients who are currently languishing in acute care hospitals in need of the state-of-the art care provided at Pappas. Over the last two years under Goldstein's leadership, the patient population of patients being served at Pappas has gone from 48 to 22 (a 54% drop), with more discharges planned.

The vote took the form of a petition that spelled out the full rationale for the staff's dissatisfaction with Goldstein's leadership, with more than 95 percent of the staff voting in favor, which includes direct caregivers and teachers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 509, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 93 and the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Click here to view the full petition or contact David Schildmeier at [email protected] to receive a copy via email.

It is important to note that Commissioner Goldstein was the driving force behind the effort last year to close Pappas, an effort that was met with widespread opposition from the public and the legislature. A petition circulated online by a former volunteer at Pappas generated more than 20,000 signatures over just a few weeks, while current and former patients, families and supporters launched a "Pappas Strong" Facebook page to rally support for efforts to save the facility. All of this activity resulted in the legislature's vote to establish a Special legislative Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation and study into the future of the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. The Commission, Co-chaired by State Senator William J. Driscoll, Jr. and State Representative Majorie Decker, held its first meeting on March 6th. In addition, Governor Healey, in her budget proposal for FY 27 included full funding for Pappas, yet under the Commissioner's leadership, discharges of patients and the failure to admit patients continue unbated, resulting in what staff fear is a defacto closure of the facility. 

"We continue to discharge our patients to residential schools or other hospitals that cannot provide the same level of care our patients receive at Pappas, but have not admitted patients at the same rate in the past six months," explained Michelle Sweeney, Pappas' Supervisor of Physical Therapy and co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association local bargaining unit for Pappas. "The clinical staff have approved multiple admissions, but we have been blocked from admitting these patients to our care for one reason or another. We know that there are as many as 100 children currently boarding in acute care hospitals, and I'm unclear why none of them have been admitted to Pappas. There is already a shortage of acute beds in the state, especially for pediatric patients, and we would welcome the opportunity to care for so many of them at Pappas." 

As part of the press conference, Sweeney will present a statement from a mother of a 12-year-old medically complex child who is quadriplegic, nonverbal, and legally blind. His disabilities impact every aspect of his daily functioning across all environments. While he is a perfect candidate for Pappas-level care, the administration has denied admission to the facility. For a copy of the mother's full statement, contact David Schildmeier at [email protected].

"We have repeatedly raised serious concerns with DPH leadership regarding the current state of admissions and discharge practices at Pappas. Enrollment has declined to critically low levels while the administration continues to deny admissions to prospective patients who would greatly benefit from the comprehensive and highly specialized services provided here," explained Kim Daley, a longtime teacher at Pappas and member of SEIU 509. "Despite receiving full funding in the FY27 budget, strong support from legislators, families and the broader community, and the establishment of a Special Commission to examine the future of Pappas, we are deeply concerned that time is running out. Without immediate action and a meaningful change in direction from DPH leadership, this essential facility is at risk of being lost due to ongoing neglect and inaction."

"Pappas is not just a school or a hospital or a rehab, it is so much more than the sum of its parts because it allows our patients to thrive and become their best selves in a special place that cannot be replicated. DPH should be investing and expanding Pappas so that children all across Massachusetts who need specialized service have access to them," said Nancy Silva, president of AFSCME Local 1517. "DPH leadership, through their inaction, neglect, and shortsighted policy changes, is directly responsible for a steady and consistent decline in admissions which threaten the very existence of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. This vote of no confidence was not taken lightly, but the patients we serve deserve the very best and hundreds of workers at Pappas are speaking out for immediate change to save this essential facility."

About Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children

Founded in 1904 on a 160-acre campus, The Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children (PRHC) provides state-of-the-art medical, rehabilitative, educational, recreational, habilitative, transitional, and complementary alternative medical services to children and young adults (ages 7 – 22+) with multiple disabilities. PRHC assists them to achieve their optimal level of independence in all aspects of life. 

As stated in the Governor's Pappas Working Group report: "PRHC excels in its therapeutic care, arguably providing an unmatched level of service due to the quality, experience and dedication of the staff as well as a unique set of physical amenities including dedicated rehabilitation rooms, an aquatic center, a stable for horses and other animals, garden/farmlands, an adaptive play park, and an athletic center including a bowling alley… PRHC delivers on the pillars of therapy by developing physical abilities, helping kids get out of wheelchairs when possible, building social relationships, and connecting with community resources outside the hospital."

The report provides essential data on the more than 2,000 children in the Commonwealth with complex disabilities, medical and rehabilitative needs, many of whom are languishing in the emergency departments of our acute care hospitals, sometimes for months at a time, children in need of specialized care, including a significant number who could and should have access to care at Pappas. Reporters wishing to better understand the mission and the unique care regimen provided at the facility should view this video, which is featured on the Pappas web page. 

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association