Press Release: 3/23/2026

Vote of No Confidence in Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein

 

Whereas the mission of the Pappas Rehabilitaon Hospital for Children (PRHC) is

to provide medical, rehabilitave, educaonal, recreaonal, habilitave,

transional, and complementary alternave medical services to children and young

adults with mulple disabilies, assisng them to achieve their opmal level of

independence in all aspects of life.

Whereas the Governor's recent Pappas Working Group Report documents hundreds of

children who are currently languishing in our acute care hospitals, or going without care;

Whereas the Commissioner Goldstein has put in place overly restricve admissions

criteria;

Whereas Commissioner Goldstein has directed administrators of Pappas to refuse

admission of qualified paents to Pappas;

Whereas Commission Goldstein has failed to fill vacant staff posions required for safe

and consistent care of paents;

Whereas Commissioner Goldstein has failed to recruit paents in need of Pappas-level

care to fill beds in Pappas and

Whereas the Commission Goldstein has directed Administrators to prematurely dis-

charge paents to sengs that fail to provide the same level of care as Pappas or

before they can get a proper placement in an adequate program;

Whereas we believe Commissioner Goldstein's acons represent the abandonment of

the vital Mission of Pappas as a rehabilitaon hospital;

We, the undersigned staff of the Department of Public health and employees of Pappas

Rehabilitaon Hospital for Children, have ZERO CONFIDENCE in Commissioner

Goldstein to connue to lead at the Department of Public Health and oversee operaons

at DPH facilies, especially Pappas Rehabilitaon Hospital for Children.