HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill pending before Congress includes veterans care funding for facilities such as the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, which was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Democrat visited the state-run veterans care facility on Thursday where he met with interim Chief Medical Officer Thomas Higgins, Masslive.com reported.
“The Soldiers’ Home is stabilized,” he said, adding that most residents and staff have been vaccinated.
“They feel like they are working in a much safer environment,” Markey said.
During the spring, 76 residents died after contracting COVID-19 in one of the worst outbreaks in a longterm care facility in the country. Two former top administrators have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges.
The state plans on replacing the facility. The administration of Gov. Charlie Baker recently filed a $400 million bond bill to build a new home.
A spending package approved last week by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs includes $750 million for state-run veterans homes. Of that, $500 million would be for construction projects and the remaining $250 million would be one-time emergency payments for cleaning, protective equipment or hiring staff during the pandemic, according to the military newspaper Stars & Stripes.
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