Mass. Veterans Home at Holyoke opens 6 years after dozens of COVID deaths
The former Soldiers’ Home of Holyoke was rededicated Thursday morning, six year after dozens of veterans died from COVID-19 at the facility.
The aging facility was rebuilt at a cost of more than $400 million and is now known as the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke.
“Couldn’t be in any better place than this,” said veteran Frank Horn.
He served his country in the 1960s, and he and others like him are getting a new place to call home.
The new state-of-the-art facility has enough space for 234 veterans, with most of the rooms being singles.
At least 76 veterans died at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As I look out at family members who lost loved ones here during the COVID pandemic, I know this is a very bittersweet location,” Gov. Maura Healey said during Thursday’s rededication.
“The individuals who actually kept those memories front and center are the ones we should remember today,” said Rep. Richard Neal, a western Massachusetts Democrat.
Debbie Moulton almost didn’t come, given difficult feelings about the loss of her father at the home.
“It’s a bittersweet day for me to actually come up the driveway,” she said.
Like some other families, Moulton was upset she didn’t get invited until this week.
“A little bit,” she said. “But hey, it’s politics. What can I say.”
“Ultimately, that’s my responsibility, and apologize to those families,” said Dr. Eric Goralnick, Massachusetts’ secretary of veterans services. “The focus is on moving forward.”
Besides long-term care beds, there’s a memory care unit and the potential for an adult day health program.
“The servicemen deserve it. The ones that are here and the ones that are gone,” said Horn.
There’s a waiting list to get into the home, which expects to have a full house and full staff in place by sometime next year.
More on the Holyoke Soldiers' Home
Ver nota original ↗
¿Querés un resumen rápido de esta noticia, hecho por nuestra IA?
