LOG IN
2 former leaders of Holyoke Soldiers' Home charged in COVID-19 deaths
Bennett Walsh and David Clinton each have been charged with criminal neglect.
By
Arielle Mitropoulos
and
Aaron Katersky
September 25, 2020, 1:47 PM
• 7 min read
At least 52 residents have died from the coronavirus in the past month at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Mass.Boston Globe via Getty Images
Two former leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts have been indicted in connection with the COVID-19 deaths of nearly a dozen veterans, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Friday.
Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton each have been charged with criminal neglect following an investigation into the facility, where at least 76 residents died of COVID-Each defendant is facing five counts of charges of caretaker who wantonly or recklessly commits or permits bodily injury to an elder or disabled person, and five counts of caretaker who wantonly or recklessly commits or permits abuse, neglect or mistreatment to an elder or disabled person. Walsh and Clinton will be arraigned in Hampden County Superior Court at a later date.
"This was an outbreak at the home that we know claimed at least 76 lives ... the lives of veterans who served our country bravely and with honor. They risked their lives from the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam, and to know that they died under the most horrific circumstances is truly shocking," Healey said.
MORE: 'Substantial errors,' 'utterly baffling' decisions led to COVID tragedy at Holyoke Soldiers' Home
"Some of the residents in the dining room had symptoms of COVID-19, some did not. The beds of these veterans in the dining room were just a few feet apart from each other," Healey said. "Some were next to the room where confirmed positive residents were located, and residents in the unit were mingling together regardless of their COVID-19 status."
Healey said that these "reckless" decisions placed asymptomatic veterans at greater risk of contracting the virus -- and a greater risk of death.
"While this criminal indictment cannot bring back their loved ones, I do hope, sincerely, that it provides those affected by this tragedy some solace that we are doing everything we can to hold accountable the individuals who we believe are responsible here," Healey said.
MORE: Suspended superintendent at Holyoke Soldiers' Home did not keep officials in the dark, attorney says
Over 90 families of Holyoke Soldiers' Home veterans have been consulted and interviewed as a part of the investigation.
The attorney general's report is the second of four investigations into failures at the facility. Earlier this summer, an investigation lead by former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein also found that the facility's leadership team made substantial errors in responding to the outbreak.
Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Holyoke Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Mass., April 30, 2020, where the COVID-19 pan...
The Holyoke Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Mass., April 30, 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic left at least 76 dead.
The two other investigations, which are still ongoing, include a federal investigation led U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling and an investigation conducted by the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha.
Healey confirmed that her office is actively investigating several other facilities that suffered high numbers of coronavirus-related deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 6,000 probable or confirmed deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities in Massachusetts -- approximately two-thirds of the state's total reported death count.
2 former leaders of Holyoke Soldiers' Home charged in COVID-19 deaths
Bennett Walsh and David Clinton each have been charged with criminal neglect.
By
Arielle Mitropoulos
and
Aaron Katersky
September 25, 2020, 1:47 PM
• 7 min read
At least 52 residents have died from the coronavirus in the past month at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Mass.Boston Globe via Getty Images
Two former leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts have been indicted in connection with the COVID-19 deaths of nearly a dozen veterans, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Friday.
Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton each have been charged with criminal neglect following an investigation into the facility, where at least 76 residents died of COVID-Each defendant is facing five counts of charges of caretaker who wantonly or recklessly commits or permits bodily injury to an elder or disabled person, and five counts of caretaker who wantonly or recklessly commits or permits abuse, neglect or mistreatment to an elder or disabled person. Walsh and Clinton will be arraigned in Hampden County Superior Court at a later date.
"This was an outbreak at the home that we know claimed at least 76 lives ... the lives of veterans who served our country bravely and with honor. They risked their lives from the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam, and to know that they died under the most horrific circumstances is truly shocking," Healey said.
MORE: 'Substantial errors,' 'utterly baffling' decisions led to COVID tragedy at Holyoke Soldiers' Home
"Some of the residents in the dining room had symptoms of COVID-19, some did not. The beds of these veterans in the dining room were just a few feet apart from each other," Healey said. "Some were next to the room where confirmed positive residents were located, and residents in the unit were mingling together regardless of their COVID-19 status."
Healey said that these "reckless" decisions placed asymptomatic veterans at greater risk of contracting the virus -- and a greater risk of death.
"While this criminal indictment cannot bring back their loved ones, I do hope, sincerely, that it provides those affected by this tragedy some solace that we are doing everything we can to hold accountable the individuals who we believe are responsible here," Healey said.
MORE: Suspended superintendent at Holyoke Soldiers' Home did not keep officials in the dark, attorney says
Over 90 families of Holyoke Soldiers' Home veterans have been consulted and interviewed as a part of the investigation.
The attorney general's report is the second of four investigations into failures at the facility. Earlier this summer, an investigation lead by former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein also found that the facility's leadership team made substantial errors in responding to the outbreak.
The Holyoke Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Mass., April 30, 2020, where the COVID-19 pan...
The Holyoke Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Mass., April 30, 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic left at least 76 dead.
The two other investigations, which are still ongoing, include a federal investigation led U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling and an investigation conducted by the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha.
Healey confirmed that her office is actively investigating several other facilities that suffered high numbers of coronavirus-related deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 6,000 probable or confirmed deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities in Massachusetts -- approximately two-thirds of the state's total reported death count.
