Photo courtesy of Alexius Horatius
HYANNIS – State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are opposing the potential closure of a mental health facility on Cape Cod proposed in the budget recommendations by Gov. Maura Healey.
Republican State Representative for the Fifth Barnstable District Steven Xiarhos joined residents at the Bourne Rotary February 15 raising awareness about the potential closure of the Pocasset Mental Health Facility.
“This facility is a lifeline for people in need, and we must do everything we can to protect it,” said Xiarhos.
Democrat leaders including recently elected State Senator for the Plymouth and Barnstable District Dylan Fernandes have also opposed its closure, with he and others including Barnstbale County Sheriff Donna Buckley recently hosting public sessions on the issue.
The facility is one of two in-patient services on Cape Cod and the only one run by the state in the region.
With 16 beds, Sheriff Buckley said that its closure would have a big impact on the local community and may drive more people into the criminal justice system that otherwise could have gotten the mental health care they needed through the facilities.
“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,” wrote Buckley in a letter to the Governor on the issue.
About Grady Culhane
