I praised Governor Baker and his administration for beginning the process of overhauling Bridgewater State Hospital i n this column last year.  The facility, now known as the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, is where prisoners who have been deemed mentally incompetent or sexual offenders have been sent for years.  Yet Bridgewater has also housed people awaiting trial who require a mental health evaluation. 

Despite the commitment to bring about change at the Bridgewater facility, the Governor chose to keep it under the control of the Department of Correction as opposed to transferring control to the Department of Mental Health as recommended by the Disability Law Center and other advocates.  (See here for a recent discussion of this issue in the Boston Globe).

It was revealed in the Boston Globe this week that eleven individuals, including one with developmental disabilities, are now suing the Commonwealth to be released from Bridgewater.  They are being held there for opioid treatment.  When I first read this, I thought "this cannot be true."  Silly me, I was wrong.

These individuals are all so desperately in need of treatment that the court has ordered them into treatment for 90 days.  At least one person wanted the treatment and commitment.  Their complaint states that when they arrived at the new facility the Commonwealth has set up in Plymouth the treatment was not adequate. So some walked away and others acted out.  They were then sent for "treatment" at Bridgewater.  There they eat the same food as prisoners, wear orange jumpsuits and carry ID's that say prisoner.  This does not sound like any treatment facility.  Certainly does not sound like a place to achieve a lasting sobriety.

Governor Baker has made fighting the opioid epidemic a cornerstone of his administration.  He has started the work of cleaning up the cesspool that is Bridgewater.  For both of these efforts he deserves praise.  However, real change will never occur under the control of the Department of Correction.  To a prison guard all residents look like an inmate.  The Governor must transfer control to the Department of Mental Health.  In almost every state, facilities such as Bridgewater are under the control of the agency that serves people with mental illness.  Now Massachusetts must follow suit.

Governor Baker, it is time for a course correction on Corrections.  Having the disabilities of mental illness or opioid addiction does not make a person a felon.

John Winske

[email protected]

According to the Bangor Daily News, Skills Inc., paid people with disabilities sub-minimum wages while it paid a manager $570,000 in one year.  It paid some workers as little as $2.14 per hour.  You can find the story here. 

As proof that the Trump Administration will stoop to any level to dismantle The Affordable Care Act, Vice President Pence made the argument this week that the law has hurt people with disabilities.  According to the Huffington Post and others, the Vice President argued that the ACA caused "far too many able-bodied adults on Medicaid" causing wait lists in Ohio and other states for community based services.  Luckily, Governor Kasich and others fired back.  You can read it here. 

Of course, there was no explanation of how cutting $850 million from Medicaid would erase waiting lists.  Nor did he explain why Indiana's website notes the wait for waiver services is at least five years.

In a does anyone see the irony here moment?  It was announced that the Senate will delay voting on repeal and replace because Senator John McCain underwent a medical procedure on Friday.  Senator McCain had a procedure to remove a blood clot above his eye and he is resting comfortably at home.  

Meanwhile, the revised bill included an amendment, proposed by Senator Ted Cruz,  that would allow insurance companies to sell insurance policies that did not cover all services currently required as long as they also sold one that did cover all services.   The amendment is opposed by insurance industry because it would drive up rates on the comprehensive policies. 

According to HealthAffairs.org, there are a few hidden surprises in the Senate Health Care Bill.  You can read about it here.

Because of some advocacy work,  the Berkshire Theater Group has decided that all performances of Children of a Lesser God will be Open Captioned.

The performance is at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage
BTG's Stockbridge Campus, 83 East Main Street, Stockbridge, MA

Closing: Saturday, July 22 at 8pm

Tickets: $65

For more information please go to 

https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/on-our-stages/theatre/681-children-of-a-lesser-god

Sponsored by: Lead Sponsor, 37 Interlaken Road Project; The Shubert Foundation; The Westfield News Group; David and Susan Auerbach; Natalie and Howard Shawn; Country Curtains, The Red Lion Inn and Blantyre