BARNSTABLE – During a recent hearing by the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, over fifty live and virtual attendees voiced their opposition to the closure of the Pocasset Mental Health Center proposed in an upcoming state budget.
If enacted, the budget would shut down the only state-run inpatient psychiatric facility serving the Cape and Islands, while also cutting funds for caseworkers in the Department of Mental Health.
“The overall loss of mental healthcare on Cape Cod will put more people in emergency rooms, police cruisers, and in jails,” said Sheriff Donna Buckley, an advocate of keeping the Pocasset Mental Health Center in operation. “These proposals won’t save money, but they will enact a human toll.”
Following the impassioned testimony, the Assembly unanimously voted to approve a resolution calling on Beacon Hill to reverse the proposal.
“These cuts will have devastating consequences on Cape Cod and the Islands,” said Deputy Speaker Dan Gessen of Falmouth, who introduced the resolution. “We simply can’t balance the books on the backs of the vulnerable in our community.”
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