Mass General Brigham is shutting down its specialized program for children with PANS and PANDAS in January, and families across Massachusetts who rely on it say they have almost nowhere else to turn. The hospital notified patients in August that the program was ending, prompting anger and fear among parents.
PANS, or pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, describes an abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms or severely restricted eating along with other sudden behavioral changes, according to reporting from The Boston Globe. PANDAS, a subset of PANS that the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes as pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus, can trigger sudden, debilitating psychiatric symptoms, often following an infection like strep throat. Researchers have found that strep antibodies can react with brain areas involved in movement, behavior, and emotion, and some research suggests the condition may involve an abnormal immune response that causes inflammation in the body and brain.
Mass General Brigham for Children’s program grew into one of the few comprehensive resources of its kind in the country. By 2024, the program had logged more than 3,000 patient visits and completed more than 1,500 new evaluations, according to figures cited in a hospital fund-raising email referenced in the Globe's reporting.
Hospital Says Closure Isn't About One Doctor
Mass General Brigham has said the closure is not tied to the availability or return of any single physician, and that it lacked the multidisciplinary services needed to safely sustain a full program meeting national standards. The hospital said care will continue through child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatric infectious-disease specialists, and primary-care providers, and that its psychiatry team would coordinate referrals to other specialists for questions about antibiotics or immunotherapies.
The shutdown comes as Mass General Brigham works through serious financial strain. The state's largest health system was more than $300 million behind its fiscal 2026 budget as of this fall, and clinical services were expected to be affected, according to the Boston Business Journal.
Advocacy Group Seeks Review
A PANS/PANDAS advocacy group sent a letter to the Massachusetts attorney general's office requesting an independent review of the closure plan. Mass General Brigham has responded that the facts do not support claims made in that letter.
Families Describe Years of Searching for Answers
For families already navigating a diagnosis with no FDA-approved test, the closure lands hard. PANS/PANDAS is diagnosed using medical history and symptoms alone, and treatment can range from antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen to cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants for behavioral symptoms. Severe cases may require intravenous immunoglobulin infusions.
Taite Panton, now 21 and a University of New Hampshire student, was 5 when his symptoms first appeared more than a decade ago. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and depression before doctors identified PANS/PANDAS as the underlying cause. His family first traveled to Washington, D.C., to pay $15,000 out of network for an IVIG treatment because they could not get an immediate appointment at Mass General Brigham. Later, he was able to see a doctor at Mass General Brigham with full insurance coverage. He experienced another symptom flare last August and has continued receiving IVIG infusions at home in Duxbury.
Other parents describe a similar scramble. Jennifer Vitelli has three children diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, underscoring how the condition can affect multiple kids in a single household.
Medical Consensus Remains Unsettled
The National Institutes of Health overview references a 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report on PANS and describes ongoing research aimed at better understanding the condition, even as consensus on diagnosis and treatment protocols remains elusive.
