A proposal to use the former Forestview Nursing Home as a substance abuse treatment center could result in an average of one additional ambulance per day and one police car every other day being called to the facility on Indian Neck Road.
The proposal calls for Gosnold Behavioral Health, a nonprofit organization that treats alcoholism, mental illness and substance abuse disorders, to move its headquarters and inpatient treatment facility from Falmouth to Wareham.
Wareham Town officials discussed statistics about Gosnold’s existing facility in Falmouth and sought to understand the impact the move could have on public services in Wareham during a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Wednesday, August 14.
According to Wareham Police Chief Walter Correia, Falmouth police have logged about 100 calls to Gosnold’s Falmouth headquarters since the beginning of the year.
“I am concerned that this is another project coming to town that will certainly have an impact on the public safety of an already busy city,” Correia said.
He added, “However, the community servant in me is glad that there is a program like this that can help people battling addiction… that’s something I can support.”
Correia said the number of calls in Wareham is already increasing and that he currently has 44 officers and needs 54 to “contribute to public safety.”
The statistics regarding Gosnold’s use of emergency services painted a similar picture.
Josh Faherty, land use coordinator for the Town of Wareham, said there were 395 medical incidents at Gosnold’s Falmouth facility between August 2023 and August 2024, according to Falmouth Fire and Rescue.
It would be “not unreasonable” to expect Wareham’s ambulance to travel to the facility on Indian Neck Road once a day, said Jim Eacobacci, clerk for the Zoning Board of Appeals.
It is currently unclear how this compares to the emergency medical services response when the facility on Indian Neck Road in Wareham was used as a nursing home.
Attorney Jilian Morton, who represents a group of homeowners near the proposed facility, said the group needs to study the impact the facility would have on city services.
