Oct 19, 2026 · 6 min · 5 segments
An examination of how physical and civic strains, from care and rehab bed shortages to old water pipes, shape Massachusetts capacity for growth.
Sam Drysdale
Carrie HealyHost
State health officials are moving to revoke licenses for all 12 regal care nursing homes in Massachusetts over care concerns.
The state has already lost over 3,500 rehab and long-term care beds over recent years, leaving families in Western Mass with very few choices.
Thinking about residents and staff currently at regal care, for instance, in Greenfield, Sam, what does this state crackdown mean for their daily lives right now?
The immediate message is that regal care in Greenfield and across the state is not closing tomorrow, so families don't have to move their loved ones right now.
But residents and staff should expect much closer scrutiny, with state inspectors visiting multiple times a week to assess staffing and training and cleanliness and the adequacy of supplies.
The bigger concern is the uncertainty that this creates for residents who depend on consistent care and for the staff who are
And in western Massachusetts, where there are limited alternatives, it's this question of whether the facility will close.
Senator Joe Comerford of Northampton's hearing from constituents who are deeply torn.
I mean, they demand better care, but they also say that closing regal care facilities, again, for instance, Greenfield or Holyoke, would leave local families with nowhere else to go.
Yeah, the state says that their goal right now is to make sure that nursing home owners are held accountable and that residents are receiving safe and dignified care because the allegations here are serious.
Officials have cited dangerous care failures and improper billing for medically unnecessary therapy for frail and elderly patients.
So they're trying to ensure that owners don't put profits ahead of residents' safety, that that may involve removing those owners, and that does need to be paired with a plan to preserve access to care.
State health officials are moving to revoke licenses for all 12 regal care nursing homes in Massachusetts over care concerns.
The state has already lost over 3,500 rehab and long-term care beds over recent years, leaving families in Western Mass with very few choices.
Thinking about residents and staff currently at regal care, for instance, in Greenfield, Sam, what does this state crackdown mean for their daily lives right now?
The immediate message is that regal care in Greenfield and across the state is not closing tomorrow, so families don't have to move their loved ones right now.
But residents and staff should expect much closer scrutiny, with state inspectors visiting multiple times a week to assess staffing and training and cleanliness and the adequacy of supplies.
The bigger concern is the uncertainty that this creates for residents who depend on consistent care and for the staff who are
And in western Massachusetts, where there are limited alternatives, it's this question of whether the facility will close.
Senator Joe Comerford of Northampton's hearing from constituents who are deeply torn.
I mean, they demand better care, but they also say that closing regal care facilities, again, for instance, Greenfield or Holyoke, would leave local families with nowhere else to go.
Yeah, the state says that their goal right now is to make sure that nursing home owners are held accountable and that residents are receiving safe and dignified care because the allegations here are serious.
Officials have cited dangerous care failures and improper billing for medically unnecessary therapy for frail and elderly patients.
So they're trying to ensure that owners don't put profits ahead of residents' safety, that that may involve removing those owners, and that does need to be paired with a plan to preserve access to care.
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