Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy proposed closing the two facilities in her fiscal 2026 budget proposal. The closures would save the state $31 million, according to the governor.
Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton currently houses 36 patients, according to the Herald. The closure would affect more than 225 current employees. Pocasset Mental Health Center has 16 beds and 56 employees.
The budget proposal would also cut the number of case managers in the state’s Department of Mental Health in half, the Herald reported.
James Durkin, director of legislation and political action at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 93, which represents direct-care employees at the two facilities, decried the decision and said the union will be “aggressively opposing” the facility closures.
The governor’s office claimed it does not need legislative approval to close the two hospitals, the Herald reported. A spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services did not provide a timeline for the closings to the outlet.