"It's a reasonable decision" No it is a completely idiotic decision. Currently patients can wait for days, sometimes weeks in an ER waiting for a psychiatric bed. We should be adding to theses beds not slashing them. The Patrick's administration's behavior in this matter has been disgusting.

Even if Taunton is kept open there are not enough spots for those with severe mental illness, and there are even more with moderate degrees of severity who are basically left to fend for themselves (or left to their families to deal with) even though they are not competent to be out of a hospital setting.

I think that as the discussion on the future of mental health facilities continues it is important to understand that Governor Patrick did submit a budget that increased funding by $9.9 million to provide more community services for patients. This funding will help restore the funding cuts to the Department of Mental Health in recent years that were the eleventh highest in the country. Like all other forms of health care, treatment for mental illness is changing to a focus on recovery. Presently more than 90 percent of DMH consumers are served in the community. As part of the Department's Community First initiative, expanded community services less people are relying on institutional settings such as state hospitals. This is good for consumers and their families because it allows people to be re-integrated into the community sooner. With the opening of the new Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, the MA Department of Mental Health (DMH) has determined there will be no reduction in total beds. DMH will continue to maintain 626 adult continuing care beds, the same number of beds for the last three years. With there experience that they feel this number of beds will serve the current and ongoing demand for adult continuing care inpatient services. It is also important to note that according to DMH individuals from the Southeast region of the state will continue, as they currently do, to receive emergency psychiatric services and hospital-level of care through the extensive network of acute general hospitals and private psychiatric hospitals located in the Southeast region. Currently, there are more than 360 acute inpatient beds located at those hospitals. In addition, DMH will continue to operate 32 acute inpatient beds at Community Mental Health Centers in the Southeast. DMH does not operate acute inpatient services in any other region of the state. DMH also has made a comittment through its extensive array of community providers and state-operated services, including three DMH-operated Mental Health Centers and six DMH Site Offices in the Southeast Region, DMH will continue to support consumers and their families throughout the recovery process. In addition, the Department is willing to facilitating travel arrangements for family members who may have to travel a long distance to visit a loved one; developing community connections prior to the discharge of a patient; and working collaboratively with consumers and family members when developing transition plans. There are several amendments to the House Budget that if enacted will provide additional funding for several mental health programs. I hope they become part of the budget recommendations.