Advocates make a case for new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke
An ambulance arrives at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke on March 31, 2020. STAFF FILE PHOTO
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HOLYOKE — As a spring deadline approaches to apply for federal money, advocates for the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke are calling for a new facility and a greater number of beds than what was outlined in a report the state released in November.
The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition was formed last spring to advocate for reforms at the facility in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak there that claimed at least 76 lives.
The coalition, which includes leaders of veterans service organizations, former employees of the facility and family members of those who died in the outbreak, is advocating for the replacement of the current facility with a new one that would include 280 private rooms and an adult health care day program.