Gosnold Behavioral Health's inpatient services are leaving Falmouth and crossing the bridge to Wareham.
The nonprofit's medical detox and short-term rehabilitation facilities in Falmouth have helped people recover from substance use disorder and other mental health issues since the 1980s. The nonprofit quietly revealed plans last month to move these services off Cape and into a former nursing home in Wareham.
Gosnold's outpatient services will remain on Cape Cod.
Gosnold CEO Richard Curcuru said he has been looking into finding a new location for Gosnold’s inpatient services for years. Moving into the Wareham facility would allow the nonprofit to provide better services to its clients, he said.
"Gosnold is trying to stay competitive in the market, a very competitive market, actually,” he said. “It's been challenging to do that in the facilities we currently have, which tend to be a bit antiquated. Even renovating this facility, we would still be limited in terms of the services we can provide."
The organization also struggles to keep its Falmouth facilities staffed, Curcuru said.
“It's challenging to recruit on Cape Cod, predominantly because of the housing situation that's down here,” he said. “We think this will give us better access to routes 495 and 195, and we’ll be able to recruit a little easier for some of our positions.”
Dan Gates, CEO of AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, said that while there are many different pathways to recovery, the loss of Gosnold's inpatient services on Cape is a blow to those who are looking for that type of help.
“One of Gosnold's strengths is, it takes MassHealth,” Gates said. “So it, on the Cape, was the best bet for people looking for abstinence-based recovery support who had MassHealth."
Though the move from Falmouth to Wareham would be only a matter of miles, the bridges pose an additional obstacle to those seeking recovery resources, Gates said.
“Transportation, for many, is a huge barrier, and when it comes to any sort of recovery, the key to success is removing barriers,” he said. “Unfortunately, the bridge is a barrier.”
Gates said those who want help finding a bed for an inpatient recovery program off Cape can contact the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. The organization can also help with transportation to off-Cape recovery resources, he said.
Gates also noted that inpatient beds for substance use disorder are in short supply across the country, not just on Cape Cod.
Suzanne Hauptmann, director of Falmouth Human Services, said she was not previously aware of Gosnold’s plans to move inpatient services off Cape. On behalf of her department, she wrote in an email that she was glad Gosnold will still be close to the Cape, and that it will keep running outpatient services on the Cape.
“There continues to be a significant need for outpatient behavioral health services on Cape Cod,” she wrote in an email. “Any reduction to these outpatient services would have a significant impact on the Cape Cod community.”
Barnstable County Substance Use Program Manager Angela Rossi declined to comment for this story.
Gosnold’s plans for the former nursing home in Wareham are being reviewed by the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. The organization is working with its potential future neighbors, some of whom have expressed concern about having a substance use treatment center near their homes. Curcuru said he is confident Gosnold will be able to move into the Wareham facility.
