{"id":56131,"date":"2020-04-29T04:37:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T04:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/29\/nearly-70-dead-in-horrific-outbreak-at-veterans-home-in-massachusetts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:59:09","slug":"nearly-70-dead-in-horrific-outbreak-at-veterans-home-in-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/29\/nearly-70-dead-in-horrific-outbreak-at-veterans-home-in-massachusetts\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 70 dead in \u2018horrific\u2019 outbreak at veterans home in Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers\u2019 Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care and the state\u2019s top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s horrific,\u201d said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the home and had a mild case of the virus. \u201cThese guys never had a chance.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2020\/04\/27\/as-coronavirus-cases-rise-va-leaders-blame-supply-shortages-on-fema\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/VA.jpg_37e9e2.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">As coronavirus cases rise, VA leaders blame supply shortages on FEMA<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The virus continues to be deadlier for VA patients than for the rest of the American population, with more than 6 percent of positive cases becoming fatal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sixty-eight veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Tuesday, and it\u2019s not known whether another person who died had COVID-19. Another 82 residents and 81 employees have tested positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The home\u2019s superintendent, who\u2019s been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The superintendent, Bennett Walsh, said earlier this month state officials knew that the home was in \u201ccrisis mode\u201d when it came to staffing shortages and were notified early and often about the contagion at the facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staffing problems that plagued the home for years contributed to the virus spreading like wildfire, said Joan Miller, a nurse at the home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because staffing was so tight, workers from one unit were constantly moving to other units to help out \u2014 and bringing their germs with them, she said. At one point, a unit was shut down because there wasn\u2019t enough staff to operate it, and those veterans were moved into close quarters in other parts of the building, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVeterans were on top of each other,\u201d she said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know who was positive and who was negative and then they grouped people together and that really exacerbated it even more,\u201d said Miller, who spoke through a mask during a break from her job at the facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s when it really blew up,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Holyoke Soldiers' Home\" class=\"wp-image-91776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119752542733.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Flags and wreaths honor veterans, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, on the grounds of the Soldiers&#8217; Home in Holyoke, Mass., where a number of people died due to the coronavirus. (Rodrique Ngowi\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The situation is now \u201csomewhat contained\u201d because there are so few veterans living there, Miller said. There were nearly 230 residents living at the home in late March and only about 100 remained on Monday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2020\/04\/27\/metro\/sixty-seven-residents-soldiers-home-holyoke-have-died-coronavirus\/\" target=_blank>The Boston Globe reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beth Lapointe said her father\u2019s roommate tested positive for the virus in March \u2014 and later died \u2014 but her father was initially denied a test because he didn\u2019t show any symptoms. As the virus spread, family members were kept in the dark about what was going on inside, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery day I would ask different people, \u2018What\u2019s going on in there?\u2019 And I would never get information,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2020\/04\/24\/veterans-affairs-records-400th-death-from-coronavirus\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6359390785_f0c0f62e03_o.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Veterans Affairs records 400th death from coronavirus<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The virus continues to be deadlier for VA patients than for the rest of the American population, with more than 6 percent of positive cases becoming fatal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican Gov. Charlie Baker\u2019s administration has hired an outside attorney to conduct an investigation into the deaths. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is also investigating to determine \u201cwhat went wrong at this facility and determine if legal action is warranted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the U.S. attorney\u2019s office in Massachusetts and Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division are looking into whether the home violated residents\u2019 rights by failing to provide them proper medical care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The death toll at the home appears to be the largest at a long-term care facility in the United States, experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s also symbolic of how unprepared many nursing facilities have been,\u201d said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGeriatricians and experts in long-term care medicine were sounding alarms at the beginning of March and we\u2019ve essentially been ignored by everyone. Federal, state, local government and the nursing home industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Holyoke Soldiers' Home\" class=\"wp-image-31284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20119595882275.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This May 2018 file photo shows an aerial view of the Holyoke Soldiers&#8217; Home in Holyoke, Mass. Nearly 70 residents have died from the coronavirus at the central Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S. (Patrick Johnson\/The Republican via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is currently no official count of nursing home deaths across the country. The federal government has only recently required the nation\u2019s more than 15,000 nursing homes to start reporting numbers of confirmed and presumed deaths and infections, but it is not yet clear when that count will be published. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, The Associated Press has been compiling its own tally from state health departments and media reports, finding at least 13,762 deaths from outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that is also likely an undercount because only about half the states are currently reporting nursing home deaths and not all count those who died without ever being tested for COVID-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press reporter Jim Mustian contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nearly 70 dead in \u2018horrific\u2019 outbreak at veterans home in Massachusetts - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nearly 70 dead in \u2018horrific\u2019 outbreak at veterans home in Massachusetts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/29\/nearly-70-dead-in-horrific-outbreak-at-veterans-home-in-massachusetts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-29T04:37:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T08:59:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta 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