By Tiffany Williams –
While Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is engaged in a vocal campaign against President Trump over his budget cuts, she is simultaneously proposing her own series of reckless and potentially harmful cuts within our Commonwealth.
Specifically, Governor Healey’s budget proposes a drastic reduction in the number of Department of Mental Health case managers, slashing the total from 340 to just 170. This move implies a startling 50 percent decrease in vital case management services. Additionally, Governor Healey is poised to close critical mental health facilities, including the Pocasset Mental Health Center on Cape Cod and the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton.
These drastic budgetary proposals threaten to have a catastrophic impact on our most vulnerable populations, undermining the stability and livelihoods of dedicated human service workers across the state. The consequences of these cuts are far-reaching, encompassing not only the immediate loss of support services but also the long-term deterioration of an already fragile mental healthcare system.
For many who rely on these essential programs, the proposed cuts represent a grave injustice. They will further restrict access to an already under-resourced network of care and support services, placing an added burden on children, families, and individuals who are already facing lengthy waitlists for services. Rather than receiving timely intervention, many will be left to navigate their challenges alone, exacerbating existing mental health crises and threatening the well-being of our communities.
It is incumbent upon our elected officials to safeguard and invest in resources that are vital for our collective health and safety. Instead of dismantling the system of care that so many depend on, the administration should strategically utilize the state’s reserves to bolster mental health services. Massachusetts has approximately $9 billion in the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund—funds that are ideally suited to assist in fortifying mental health services and ensuring that those in need receive the comprehensive support that they rightfully deserve.
The ramifications of cutting mental health services cannot be overstated, as these reductions can significantly undermine public safety. They increase the risk that individuals suffering from untreated mental health conditions may engage in behaviors that lead to criminal activity, thereby imposing an additional strain on law enforcement and resulting in higher rates of arrest for non-violent offenses. This creates a cycle in which increased incarceration rates place a heavier financial burden on the community, as individuals in need of care are funneled into the criminal justice system rather than receiving the appropriate treatment and support.
Moreover, untreated mental health issues can lead to broader social disruptions, including homelessness and increased incidence of substance abuse, which ultimately compromise the safety and stability of our communities.
Instead of further reducing funding for DMH, Governor Maura Healey should prioritize investment in community-based mental health services, including DMH case management and peer support initiatives.
By expanding accessible mental health programs that offer early intervention and ongoing support, we can build a stronger, healthier community that prioritizes preventive care and effectively addresses the needs of individuals living with mental illness.
In a letter to Governor Maura Healey, the Sheriff of Barnstable County, Donna Buckley said, “I am writing today in vehement opposition to the proposals to close the Cape and Islands Community Mental Health Center at Pocasset and to reduce the number of Case Manager positions in the Department of Mental Health. As Sheriff, I see daily the devastating generational consequences of the closure of in-patient mental health hospitals over the last 40 years. Without investment in community-based supports to replace these lost facilities, hospital emergency rooms and jails have become the de-facto mental health treatment providers. If Pocasset is closed, access to care becomes even more difficult, resulting in more mental health challenges being left untreated and more people entering a downward spiral into the criminal justice system. At a time when, in jails across the Commonwealth, 60% – 80% of our populations suffer from mental illness, we need more beds and services, not less.”
Sheriff Buckley added, “At the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, we work hand-in-hand with the Department of Mental Health case managers in treating and re-integrating our incarcerated individual population. If case manager positions are reduced, there would be a direct and negative impact on the availability of post-release mental health care. Currently, 69% of our population is prescribed at least one psychiatric medication. Incarcerated individuals receive both mental and behavioral health care from our in-house medical department. Unless these services can be sustained post release, their recovery will not last. They will once again commit crimes and once again put the public at risk.”
Sheriff Buckley also stated, “Case managers ensure clients maintain stability and community tenure, often serving as the only consistent support system. Case managers prevent services from becoming siloed, facilitate communication between providers and natural supports, and reduce emergency department visits and inpatient admissions. Case managers also oversee vendor contracts and conduct suicide screenings to identify and address suicidality early on. For us at the jail, these case managers work to provide supports that help keep people out of the criminal justice system as well as allow us to have a continuity of mental health care for those being released from our jail.”
In closing her letter to Governor Maura Healey, Barnstable County Sheriff Buckley said, “Money will not be saved by these proposed cuts. Patients in crisis will end up in our jails and emergency rooms, where treatment costs are even higher. Even more costly, however, is the human toll, the collateral damage to public safety and our first responders, and to our families, children, and communities when mental health issues go untreated. I urge you to reconsider these proposals. While our state, and the nation as a whole, faces a mental health crisis, we cannot close facilities and reduce staff that provide support to those who need them the most.”
On February 25, at 10:00 a.m., the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509 which represents case managers and other human service workers for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) is planning a rally at the steps in front of the State House in Boston.