Two Massachusetts Veterans home administrators charged for their handling of COVID-19 virus.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Holyoke Former Soldiers' Home

The Associatied Press reported that two Massachusetts veterans home administrators have been charged based on their handling of the COVID-19 virus. 76 residents at the Holyoke Former Soldiers' Home died.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said that the Holyoke Former Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton could each face prison time if convicted of charges of causing or permitting serious bodily injury or neglect of an elder.

The Alanna Durkin Richer stated in her Associated Press report that:

The charges come three months after a scathing independent report said “utterly baffling” decisions made by Walsh and other administrators allowed the virus to spread there unchecked. The “worst decision” was to combine the two locked dementia units, both of which already housed some residents with the virus, said investigators led by former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein.

Healey said Walsh and Clinton were the ones ultimately responsible for the decision to combine the two units, which she said led to “tragic and deadly results.” More than 40 veterans were packed into a single unit that usually had 25 beds, and space was so limited that nine veterans — some with symptoms and some without — were sleeping in the dining room, Healey said.

“This never should have happened. It never should have happened form an infection controls standpoint,” Healey said.

Since March 1, 76 veterans who contracted COVID-19 at the home have died, officials said. The first veteran tested positive March 17. Even though he had shown symptoms for weeks, staff “did nothing to isolate” him until his test came back positive, allowing him to remain with three roommates, wander the unit and spend time in a common room, investigators found.

Decisions that led to deaths of nursing home residents must be investigated. On July 8 I published an article urging an independent investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's policy that forced nursing homes to accept COVID-19 contagious residents. On July 20 I published an article about California Governor Gavin Newsom forcing nursing homes to accept COVID-19 contagious residents.

Policies that led to the deaths of nursing home residents were particularly horrific in some places but it happened in many US states. On June 28 I published an article explaining that 43% of all US COVID-19 deaths were nursing home residents.

Deaths of nursing home residents was even a greater problem in Canada. On June 25 I published an article explaining that 81% of COVID-19 deaths in Canada were nursing home residents. On June 26 I published an article asking how many Canadian nursing home residents with COVID-19 were killed?

Charges at the Former Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke Massachusetts are the first but they should not be the only charges. Nursing home residents were subject to degrading conditions that led to their deaths. This can only be described as elder abuse. Whether they are veterans or not, they deserve equality before the law. They deserve Justice.