A new story from the Boston Globe Spotlight Team tells a story of “government failure at every level” and “key errors and omissions” in the Pearlstein report that helped Baker avoid blame.
Miriam Wasser / WBUR
Originally published on May 26, 2021 9:19 am
The Massachusetts Legislature should require the Holyoke Soldiers Home superintendent to be a licensed nursing home administrator, elevate the secretary of veterans services to the Cabinet, create a paid ombudsman position at both state-run soldiers homes, and impose a raft of chain of command protocols and training requirements, a panel of lawmakers concluded after reviewing the deadly COVID-19 outbreak that struck the facility last year.
In a sweeping report that directed blame at the Baker administration for failing to address poor leadership and leaving key positions unfilled, a special committee created to probe the tragedy punctuated its findings with a long list of recommended legislative actions.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Downing on Monday slammed Gov. Charlie Baker for his management of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke leading up to last year’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak, saying the governor should testify before lawmakers about.