Saving Wrentham and Hogan Alliance

03/30/2026

🌿 Passover & Easter Message from SWHA 🌿

Because of the holiday week, we’re pausing our usual Friday blog post — and instead highlighting one of the most important resources on our website.

Many families in Massachusetts have never been told that there is a level of care more intensive, more clinical, and more protective than HCBS. It’s called ICF/IID care, and it is a federally defined model designed for people with high‑acuity intellectual and developmental disabilities who need 24/7 clinical oversight, habilitation, and integrated therapeutic supports.

Families are often shocked to learn that this model still exists — and even more shocked to learn that Massachusetts is not allowing new admissions, despite federal law requiring that eligible individuals be offered a real choice between ICF/IID and HCBS.

This page breaks it all down clearly:
🔗 What is ICF/IID Care?
https://savingwrenthamandhogan.org/what-is-icf-iid-care/
If you’ve ever wondered what “more than HCBS” looks like — or why so many families are fighting for access to this model — this is the place to start.

Wishing everyone a meaningful, peaceful holiday week.
— The Saving Wrentham & Hogan Alliance

03/27/2026

Why is DDS failing Steven — and so many others like him?

COFAR’s latest post highlights yet another case where a high‑needs individual is left without the most basic services he needs to stay safe. Steven’s situation is heartbreaking, but it is not surprising. It reflects a system that has been stripped of the clinical capacity required to support people with complex medical and behavioral needs.

For years, Massachusetts has pushed nearly everyone into Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) group homes — even individuals who clearly need continuous supervision, nursing oversight, and structured habilitation. At the same time, the state has restricted admissions to Wrentham and Hogan, leaving families with no access to the very settings designed to prevent these crises.
When the continuum of care collapses, this is what happens:
• preventable medical emergencies
• repeated instability
• families forced to act as the only safety net
• individuals left without lawful, appropriate placement options

Steven’s story is not an outlier. It is the predictable result of a system that no longer offers the level of care that federal law requires.
Read the full COFAR post here:
https://cofarblog.com/2026/03/27/former-dds-official-asks-why-an-intellectually-disabled-man-cant-get-basic-services/
Massachusetts can — and must — rebuild a real continuum of care for those who need it most.

Ken Moran, a former assistant area director with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), has been an advocate for Steven Voisine and for Steven’s mother Deborah for several years. Now livin…

03/27/2026

📢 New SWHA Post: When the Wrong Level of Care Leads to Incarceration

Today we published an important new piece on the SWHA website:
“When the Wrong Level of Care Leads to Incarceration in Massachusetts.”

This post explains a reality families know too well: when adults with profound autism or severe intellectual disabilities are placed in settings that cannot meet their needs, the system doesn’t step in with the right support — it steps back. And too often, the result is 911 calls, ER boarding, police involvement, and even jail.

Massachusetts has no excuse for this. We have the clinical expertise, the resources, and the legal obligations to prevent these outcomes. What’s missing is a functioning continuum of care for high‑acuity individuals.

🔗 Read the full post here:
https://savingwrenthamandhogan.org/autism-incarceration-risk-massachusetts/

Please read and share. The more people who understand how predictable — and preventable — these harms are, the harder it becomes for the state to ignore them.

Could an autistic or intellectually disabled loved one be arrested in Massachusetts? Learn how care gaps can lead to jail—and what families can do

03/23/2026

Governor Healey has just signed Executive Order 656, creating a statewide strategy effort focused on adults with profound autism. This is an important acknowledgment of a population that has been overlooked for far too long.

At the same time, the Executive Order is only a first step. It does not create new placements, expand high‑acuity day programs, or add crisis capacity — all of which families urgently need.

SWHA welcomes the recognition and will be following this process closely. We will continue advocating for a full continuum of care that includes intensive day services, crisis stabilization, and specialized residential options for adults with the most significant needs.

You can read our full statement here:
👉

03/20/2026

*Trigger warning* There are no words: https://www.ncsautism.org/blog/greece?fbclid=IwY2xjawQqrIxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDwu-0aFGKNi-EQa7Ct3xkxNtc5j1X5i4Y_XsMl3zfKfP_JR6blVKFPkE9YE_aem_hcQd86EHtb2c3aM8j0Ko6A

In early January 2026, an anonymous source provided the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA) with photographs taken inside a psychiatric care facility in Northern Greece. The images depict conditions that raise serious concerns about the safety, dignity, and human rights of people with severe au

03/20/2026

🌟 New Blog Post: Hidden Trauma in Disability Services

We’ve just published an important new piece on the Saving Wrentham and Hogan Alliance blog: “Hidden Trauma in Disability Services.”

This article shines a light on a reality too often overlooked—how trauma is created within disability service systems themselves, especially when individuals with high‑acuity needs are placed in settings that cannot safely or appropriately support them.

The post explores:
• How preventable trauma becomes “invisible” in current oversight structures
• Why wrong‑level‑of‑care placements put both individuals and staff at risk
• The systemic patterns that allow these harms to continue
• What meaningful accountability and reform must look like

Our goal is to bring this issue out of the shadows and into the policy conversation where it belongs. Trauma in disability services is not an anecdote—it’s a pattern, and it demands action.

👉 Read or listen to the full post here:
https://savingwrenthamandhogan.org/hidden-trauma-in-disability-services/

Please share widely to help raise awareness and strengthen the call for safe, appropriate, rights‑based care.

03/13/2026

📢 New Post: Final Installment of the MA IDD Lawsuit Series Is Out

The final installment of the MA IDD Lawsuit Series is now published. This closing piece brings together the full legal and historical picture behind Massachusetts’ treatment of individuals with high‑acuity autism and intellectual disabilities—and what’s at risk as the state continues to restrict admissions at Wrentham and Hogan.

This series documents why a real continuum of care matters, what past lawsuits require, and how current policies are putting vulnerable individuals at risk again.

Read and share the final installment:

A summary of four landmark federal lawsuits exposing systemic failures in Massachusetts disability services—and the policy lessons needed to prevent repeat crises.

03/11/2026

Serious questions are emerging about how DDS procures and oversees corporate guardians.

COFAR’s new post shows that key contract documents for TLC Trust—an organization that has restricted family visitation for at least two DDS clients—cannot be located by DDS or even the State Comptroller.

When a guardian can limit family access, the public deserves to know who authorized that power, what standards apply, and how DDS monitors compliance. Missing contracts, missing evaluations, and unanswered questions undermine trust and put vulnerable people at risk.

Families should never have to fight for basic transparency. This is exactly why oversight and accountability matter.

Key contract documents appear to be missing involving the procurement of a corporate guardian that has restricted the visitation rights of at least two clients of the Department of Developmental Se…

03/06/2026

Part 4 of our lawsuit series is now online. Our Hutchinson v. Patrick story is a powerful look at what happens when the state places adults with acquired brain injuries in nursing homes simply because there are no other options. This case mirrors the Rolland v. Cellucci case where individuals with intellectual disabilities were moved out of appropriate intermediate care facilities and forced into nursing homes in the name of "community inclusion." As Massachusetts braces for a surge in elderly residents needing long‑term care, this pattern has serious consequences. Nursing homes are already stretched thin, and placing people there who require entirely different services only accelerates the strain. Hutchinson is not just a story about the past — it’s a warning about what lies ahead. We invite you to read and share.

02/27/2026

🚨 New Post: The Case That Exposed What Massachusetts Didn’t Want Anyone to See

Part 3 of our lawsuit series—Boulet v. Cellucci—is now published.

This is the case that revealed how thousands of eligible people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were left unserved or severely underserved—even though federal law guaranteed them both ICF/IID and HCBS services.

Boulet shows, in stark detail, how the Commonwealth’s failures weren’t just bureaucratic delays—they were violations of federal entitlements that exist in every state. The implications reach far beyond Massachusetts.

👉 Read or listen to Part 3: Boulet v. Cellucci
https://savingwrenthamandhogan.org/boulet-v-cellucci-when-community-living-meant-waiting-without-services/

If you’ve been following the series, you know each case uncovers another layer of how we got here.

If you’re new, this is the one that will change how you see the entire system.

This document explores the Boulet v. Cellucci lawsuit, which challenged Massachusetts’ failure to provide federally mandated residential and community-based services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It details the legal arguments, the impact of the settlement, and ...

02/26/2026

🚨 Community Alert: Phishing Scam Targeting Local Contacts

We want to make everyone aware of a phishing scam that is currently circulating in our community. Several people have received fake Punchbowl invitations that appear to come from friends, neighbors, or even members of our organization. These messages are not legitimate and are being sent from a compromised email account.

The scam works by sending what looks like a normal event invitation. When you click the link, the site asks you to enter your email username and password. Punchbowl never requires a login to view an invitation, so this is the key sign that the message is fraudulent.

What to Do if You Received One
• Delete the email from your inbox and trash.
• Do not click the link or reply through the suspicious message.
• If you want to confirm whether someone actually sent you an invitation, contact them directly through a separate email or by phone.

If You Clicked the Link
• If you clicked but did not enter any information, you are safe.
• If you entered your email and password, please change your password immediately, enable two‑factor authentication, and check your sent folder for any messages you did not send.

Why This Matters
These scams spread quickly because once an account is compromised, the attacker uses it to send more fake invitations to the person’s contacts. No one did anything wrong—these messages are designed to look convincing.
We’re sharing this to keep our community informed and protected. If you have questions, feel free to reach out through direct message.

02/24/2026

Together for Choice also posted a YouTube video on Caroline's story:

Examining the Actual Impact of the HCBS Settings Rule on Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities