Coronavirus: Massachusetts AG Healey launches her own investigation into Holyoke Soldiers' Home
HOLYOKE — The state attorney general’s office has launched an independent investigation into the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke after nearly half the veterans there have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 22 are believed to have died from COVID-19.
The announcement comes a week after Gov. Charlie Baker announced his office will conduct an investigation of events at the Soldiers’ Home that lead to the deaths and the rapid spreading of the virus and of the management and organizational oversight inside the facility. Lawyer Mark W. Pearlstein of the Boston firm of McDemott, Will & Emery has been tapped to oversee the examination.
In addition, legislators are calling for an independent hearing to find out what went wrong at the home and how to prevent it from reoccurring.
“Our office is launching an investigation into Holyoke Soldiers’ Home to find out went wrong at this facility and determine if legal action is warranted. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones under these tragic circumstances,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a written statement.
The investigation will be separate from those being conducted by the executive and legislative branches, said Emalie Gainley, spokeswoman for Healey.
Officials at the Soldiers’ Home initially reported one of its about 210 residents had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 21. After receiving an anonymous text from someone who said the problems had grown far worse and calls from the Board of Health went unanswered a week later, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse personally contacted Superintendent Bennett Walsh and found out at least seven people who were suspected to have contracted the virus had died in the past week.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/04/coronavirus-ag-maura-healey-launches-own-investigation-into-holyoke-soldiers-home.html
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