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AG Charges 2 Holyoke Soldiers' Home Supervisors Over Wave Of Covid-19 Deaths

Two Holyoke Soldiers’ Home supervisors are being charged in connection to a wave of COVID-19 related deaths that swept through the hospital in March.

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Justice

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Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Friday, Sept. 25, the charges against hospital former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton.

Walsh and Clinton are facing the same charges: 5 counts each of criminal neglect and five counts each of serious bodily injury, Healey said.

Healey said the charges are the result of a few particular alleged actions when COVID-19 positive residents were intermingled with people who did not have the virus.

The two were indicted on Thursday, Sept. 24, and will be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court at a later date, she said.

“The criminal indictments cannot bring back their loved ones, but I hope, sincerely, that it can provide those affected by this tragedy with some solace,” Healey said.

An alleged combination of poor management, as well as a lack of communication and equipment, led to the unnecessary deaths of U.S. veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, according to the independent investigation commissioned by the governor’s office. Healey’s office did its own investigation on the incident.

The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home suffered a major COVID-19 outbreak that started in March. Instead of adhering to best practices, Soldiers’ Home management allegedly made copious errors that resulted in the deaths of scores of military veterans. 

Walsh has said that, early on, he asked the state for help with the growing COVID-19 crisis and was denied.

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