Suffolk County Republicans Renew Call For Independent Nursing Home Death Hearing
CONTACT: Robert Caroppoli (631) 921-2104
FOR RELEASE: Immediate
MEDFORD, NY: Following this week’s meaningless hearing on the nursing home COVID-19 debacle, the Suffolk County Republican Committee again joined together to call for an independent hearing into the travesty. As many are well aware, missteps by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) throughout the ongoing health crisis contributed directly to the death of 6,500 of our state’s seniors by requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities to readmit COVID-19 positive residents even though this put other residents and staff at a higher risk of infection.
But, during the hearing, the Senate and Assembly Democrats allowed NYSDOH Commissioner Howard Zucker to present a PowerPoint which offered the same talking points that the administration has spewed since the crisis began and to avoid taking full responsibility for the issue that the NYSDOH’s policy caused. The Democratic hearing, which was conducted virtually, resulted in an endless amount of dialogue which delivered absolutely no answers for the families of those who died from the state’s reckless policies.
Following the hearing, SCRC Chairman Jesse Garcia was joined by the four candidates running for the State Senate in renewing their call for an independent investigation into the nursing home situation.
“While there were some good questions by Republican members, the end result was more of the same. The Cuomo administration failed to admit that their policies led to the deaths of some of our state’s most vulnerable. And they were allowed by the Democrats in charge to blame every other entity under the sun for their failures throughout the crisis. It is time for an independent review of the policies that were put in place by this administration to get the answers that the families who have lost loved ones deserve,” stated Chairman Garcia.
“The committees involved in this hearing could have wielded enormous power to ensure that New York families got the answers they need and deserve through the use of subpoenas and other investigatory tools. Instead, they allowed Health Commissioner Zucker to filibuster in 3-minute segments and give no substantive responses. What is more offensive is that the hearings were intended to be an investigation into the March 25th directive for nursing homes to readmit COVID positive patients, and the Commissioner was totally unprepared and couldn’t give any answers regarding its origin. It is time for an independent body – without ties to the Governor – to get to the bottom of this debacle,” stated Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, the Republican and Conservative nominee for New York’s 1st Senate District.
“Many families in this state, who were trying to get the best care for their loved ones, are left with far more questions than answers about this tragedy. These families, many of whom were not allowed to see their loved ones, heard every excuse about who was at fault but never have they heard the unvarnished truth. If Senate Democrats won’t use their subpoena power then only a truly independent investigation with real power can get the answers that these families deserve and that is what our state should do immediately,” added Alexis Weik, Republican and Conservative candidate for New York’s 3rd Senate District.
“This week’s hearing continued to cast blame in every single direction instead of focusing on what can and should be done moving forward. The staff at these facilities deserve to know that their heroic efforts were not to blame for the deaths of their residents and that the same mistakes will not happen in the future. And the families must have closure on what has been one of the hardest moments of their lives. Now is not the time for excuses – it is time for accountability and action,” said Mario Mattera, the Republican, Conservative and Independence nominee for New York’s 2nd Senate District.
“The hearings could have been a constructive forum to help prevent unnecessary risks to seniors in the future. Instead, it was political theatre. The Democrats have their priorities backward: they want to release felons but lock-up grandma,” stated Ed Smyth, the 5th Senate District’s Republican, Conservative, and Independence nominee.
The Senate and Assembly Democrats will be hosting a second hearing – again without the use of subpoenas – next week.
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