Officials urge commonwealth to reconsider Pappas closure
By Canton Citizen
Rep. Bill Galvin speaks during a press conference at Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children.
Town Administrator Charles Doody and the Canton Select Board, with the support of local, county, state, and federal officials, are urging the commonwealth of Massachusetts to reconsider closing the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton.
On Friday, January 31, Congressman Stephen Lynch was joined by state senators Paul Feeney and William Driscoll, state representatives Bill Galvin and John Rogers, Norfolk County Commissioner Richard Staiti, Canton Select Board Chair Michael Loughran, and Select Board member John Connolly at a press conference held inside the facility at 3 Randolph Street.
“Many residents in Canton were disheartened by the governor’s announcement that the state would be closing the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton,” stated Loughran. “We’re relieved to hear that Governor Maura Healey and her administration will be taking another look at the facility.”
Federal, state, county, and local officials spoke out in favor of keeping the institution open.
“The Pappas Rehabilitation Center, formerly the Massachusetts Hospital School, has cared for the commonwealth’s most severely disabled children since 1904,” said Doody. “We’d like to see it remain open for another 120 years.”
Pappas officials gave the delegation a tour of the facility’s campus. The group of elected officials witnessed firsthand some of the deteriorating conditions inside its buildings. Following the tour, the officials pledged to work with Governor Healey to examine alternatives to shuttering the facility.
“I am encouraged and grateful that Governor Healey has heard the concerns of so many citizens, families, and health care professionals and has indicated a willingness to take another look at the decision to close the facility,” said Loughran.
Connolly reaffirmed the board’s commitment to working with government officials to invest in the facility so it can continue its mission to care for the state’s most vulnerable children.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=130875
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Feb 6 2025. Filed under Top Stories.
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