BOSTON (WHDH) - As legislators hold hearings on making changes to Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in the wake of dozens of coronavirus deaths, veterans’ advocates say they need to take action now.
“How much longer do these vets need to wait? At the end of the day we have 76 dead veterans due to this disease,” said Troy Henke of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition.
Henke’s great-uncle, Richard Holloway, lives at the facility that was ravaged by the virus, and Henke said it was a “miracle” Holloway was OK after recovering from the virus.
“It’s an absolute miracle that my great uncle – who did contract the illness – has recovered,” Henke said. “We were the fortunate ones.”
Henke, a veteran himself, said the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home has needed major work — including renovation and additional space — before those 76 veterans died this year after the coronavirus spread through the facility.
“Coronavirus is what brought it to the forefront. Unfortunately, it took a disaster this magnitude to do so,” he said.
At a hearing at the State House, other said veterans at the facility needed their own bedrooms and bathrooms instead of being in close quarters.
”It’s unacceptable,” said retired Air Force Lt Col. John Paradis. “You have veterans in rooms where they can literally put their hands out and touch each other.”
The coalition also wants an adult daycare and veterans and their family members on the facility’s Board of Trustees to better represent the residents. An investigation after the coronavirus hit recommended expanding the board and adding criteria for leadership.
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