'Generational Consequences' Could Follow Cape Mental Health Closure

CAPE COD, MA — The Barnstable County Sheriff has joined the list of public officials against the potential closure of the Pocasset Mental Health Center, Cape Cod's only state-run mental health facility.

Gov. Maura Healey's most recent budget proposal would see the center close along with a facility in Canton, Massachusetts. Located in Pocasset, the mental health center has 16 inpatient beds to care for people 19 and over.

Sheriff Donna Buckley said she is in "vehement opposition" to the section of the budget, which would also 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," Buckley said. "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," she added, noting that in jails across Massachusetts, more than half of the prison population suffers from mental illness.

Since Covid-19, Buckley said, DMH referrals have increased, pointing to a need for more staff, not less.

Buckley isn't alone in her frustration, as State Rep. David T. Vieira and State Sen. Dylan Fernandes also expressed their ire at the budget.

"The Department of Mental Health’s decision to close 16 in-patient beds in an area of critical need will further exacerbate issues of mental health access on the Cape," Fernandes said.

He continued:

"That they are cutting services in a community with mental health challenges and one that is home to the Wampanoag Tribe undermines the Administration's stated commitment to serving overlooked and underserved communities. We’re calling on the State Administration to reverse this reckless move. Our office is going to fight to keep these critical mental health services on Cape Cod."

Vieira said the facilities are "vital lifelines" for children, families and adults in the area.

"The absence of these resources will have devastating consequences for individuals and families already grappling with limited access to mental health care."