More testimony was received about the deadly coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home by a state legislative committee on Tuesday. Last week, it was family members of the veterans; yesterday at Holyoke Community College, it was the Soldiers' Home staffers' turn to speak. A certified nursing assistant who was the first to testify talked about the traumatic experience of the veteran deaths and said the residents viewed the workers as family. Some staffers said they retired because of the outbreak.
Joseph Ramierez was among those who gave emotional testimony talking about the need for more resources. He recounted the story of a veteran who had Alzheimer's Disease and was dying. He talked about being with the veteran.
“I was able to say to him, ‘Mr. R. don’t hold out too long. When you’re ready to go, you go,” he told the committee. “Within 5 minutes of that, I had the privilege and honor of losing Mr. R. in our home.”
More testimony is expected this week.
Lawmakers say that they will make a series of reccomendations after all the testimony concludes.
(Photo Credit: John Baibak/WHYN News)