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Legislature fails
to fund new state hospital
(December
2006 Issue)
By Phyllis Hanlon
In January 2005, Massachusetts established a Facility Feasibility
Commission to study recommendations contained in a Department of
Mental Health (DMH) Inpatient Facility Report issued March 2004.
One of those recommendations called for a state-of-the-art hospital
that would accommodate current and future needs. After a year, the
Commission unanimously agreed to close Westborough State Hospital
and build a new one at the site of the present Worcester State Hospital.
However, one major stumbling block remains for the hospital construction
plans - funding for the project.
According to a report published on April 24, 2006 by the Special
Commission to Study the Feasibility of Constructing a New Department
of Mental Health Inpatient Facility, "…significant operational inefficiencies
as well as capital cost burdens by continuing to maintain both Worcester
State Hospital and Westborough State Hospital" existed. After public
debate, the state decided to consolidate the two hospitals and plans
for new construction in Worcester began.
The next step in the process involved a proposal for funding, which
was sent to the legislature for approval. Unfortunately, this fiscal
year ended before the bond that would fund the new facility came
to the floor of the legislature.
According to Patricia Mackin, spokesperson for the DMH, the bill
never came to a vote in the legislature by the last day of the session
on July 31. She notes that one of the primary reasons the bill failed
to present for a vote can be tied to language in the bill referencing
the Commonwealth's outdated information technology infrastructure
and not the hospital funding proposal.
Mackin explains that the whole legislative process is time-consuming.
"By the time both Houses got around to providing their financial
forecasts, it was too late," she says. "However, the governor is
encouraging the legislature to come into session to vote on this
issue before January."
Mackin, however, remains confident that the funding will be approved
and the project launched. "There is a lot of support in the administration
for the bill. I am optimistic that it will pass when the legislature
meets again in January," says Mackin.
Several attempts to reach Sen. Harriette Chandler (D - 1st Worcester
district) and Rep. Vincent Pedone (D - 15th Worcester district)
for comment were unsuccessful.
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