Cambridge City Councilors
On May 6, 2013 at a regular meeting of the Cambridge MA City Council a late order was introduced for the second time concerning changes at The Cambridge Health Alliance in psychiatric services for children 3 to 7 years-old. They are being combined with the psychiatric services for children 8 to 12 and above according to some of the Councilors.
During discussion transcribed below, the most righteous of the Councilors reprimanded the Mayor for questioning the motives of the sponsors of the order. But more perplexing is the alleged lack of communication with the City Council about management of the hospital. Curiously the righteous Councilor (and State Representative) Marjorie "Conscience of the City" Decker, did not mention that the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the hospital, Ellen Semonoff, is the City's Assistant Manager for Human Services.
Ellen Semonoff, Chairman of Board of Trustees, Cambridge Health Alliance; Assistant Cambridge City Manager for Human Services
She speaks to the Council during their meetings regularly. The former Cambridge City Assistant Manager Finance Director, Louis De Pasquale is also on the Board of Trustees of the hospital. Here's a portion of the discussion transcribed to the best of my ability. I omitted some of the "ums" and "ahs."
What is of concern is that non of the Councilors are apprehensive about in-patient psychiatric treatment of 3-year-olds. Are they saying no too much? Are they not sitting still with their hands folded enough? How much earlier can the psychiatric industry recruit clients and add to the number of civilians with "a history of mental illness?"
Louis DePasquale, Former Cambridge Assistant City Manager for Finance; Member of the Board of Trustees of Cambridge Health Alliance
Mayor Davis: "I just want to add that I too heard from Mr. Wardell [Patrick Wardell Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance] about this and I think some of the facts as being represented now are not exactly right. I believe that [for] the zero to eight [year-olds] there will be no services in this community and that the services that are being combined over eight years old, I'm not sure I'm exactly right, but I don't think, it may not be exactly as the Vice Mayor may have deduced. The other thing is that, that surprised me was to learn that these services are actually regional already. That surely there will be loss of services to Cambridge children, but these services have been for, are really state wide, some of them, and that the crisis in beds for children in mental health is huge, but it's not that Cambridge Hospital was only serving Cambridge kids, it was serving children from other parts of the state, other parts of the region as well. So it's a rather complicated problem, and I, I think that, I mean we're all aware that the mental health crisis in funding is such that it causes some of these unexpected and undesired consequences ultimately. So I don't, I guess I don't want to assume the worst in turns of motive. I don't like the outcome. But I don't think the motive is to, is, is one of trying to take services away from Cambridge kids, but the desire to manage to have, hold the rest of the services in place, so that those services for the older kids are available."
Patrick Wardell, CEO, Cambridge Health Alliance
Marjorie Decker: "Madam Mayor."
Cambridge City Councilor and State Representative Marjorie Decker
Mayor Davis: "Councilor Decker."
Mayor Henrietta Davis
Marjorie Decker: "Yea, I think it's important also in your own language, I don't think anyone here myself and Vice Mayor Simmons, or Councilor Toomey who put this order in, are suggesting the worst of the Cambridge Health Alliance. I would really ask you to just be thoughtful when talking about our motives because our motives did not say . . ."
Cambridge City Councilor and State Representative Marjorie Decker
Mayor Henrietta Davis
Mayor Davis: "I'm not, I'm not talking about . . ."
Cambridge City Councilor and State Representative Marjorie Decker
Marjorie Decker: "that we assumed the worst of them. I would say the point remains that major resource issues are taking place that is affecting our community. Legislators in the surrounding areas who also are, have also signed onto a letter expressing concerns about this move to Boston. It absolutely, if you don't think that having these services now located in Boston will have an impact on families here, and I'm very aware of the surrounding areas whose families are served, there are a number of people who are quite concerned, not only by this, but that the Health Alliance needs to see our community, surrounding community that it serves, as a, as partners to turn to and to collaborate to, not to necessarily make decisions and then come back and tell us to live with the results. This is our community hospital. The City doesn't own it anymore. So it's not the City Hospital officially. But it does serve, um, it serves the well insured, uh, like my family, and it serves the under insured and it serves the very, the most vulnerable families who live amongst us. And what we are seeing, because it's a resource issue, and I was very careful to say that earlier, what we continue to see is the Cambridge Health Alliance as we know it disappearing. Now if you're not worried about being able to hop in your car and go pay 20 bucks to drive in Boston. Not a big deal if you have the flexibility in your schedule and your time, maybe not a big deal. There are a lot of families in Cambridge who don't have that option. So for the Health Alliance it is absolutely critical that it sees that the communities that they are serving as partners and advocates and exhaust all those resources. Not one phone call did I or anyone in the legislative delegation get saying, "You know what, we'd really like an amendment in the budget because we think we're going to lose the ability to continue these services." Um. Those, that has to happen, that kind of communication, and briefing and dialogue has to happen. It cannot be, it cannot be comfortable for those of us who serve this community, and feel a deep responsibility for the health and the well-being of this community, and in particular those who are the most vulnerable and marginalized in this community, who depend on the excellent medical care and services at the Cambridge Health Alliance. There's no other hospital in the country that I would choose. There's no hospital in Boston that I would choose over accessing my health care in the Cambridge Health Alliance. It's that good. And people who are well-insured should really continue to know that. Um. Because it's really an amazing place with amazing medical team, um, and staff. I continue to say to them, and I, uh, would encourage you to not be comfortable with their choices. To be comfortable only when in fact you know that they have exhausted all possibilities working with us as community leaders and all the Community leaders that they have at their access, at, that they have access to, that they are working and really seeing us as problem solvers. Maybe there is nothing to be done at the end of the day. But certainly having a conversation about what choices are available, and what's at stake if we don't make, um, certain choices. That's the conversation that I'm pushing for. Thank you."
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