Leader of Horrific Virus-Stricken Nursing Home Doesn’t Need to Be Licensed: Mass. Gov
FAILURE
A new superintendent for the Soldier’s Home, a state nursing home in Holyoke, Massachusetts where 76 elderly residents died of coronavirus, will not be required to be a licensed nursing home administrator, Governor Charlie Baker said Thursday. The statement comes just a day after a lengthy investigative report on the home’s failure to contain one of the worst nursing home coronavirus outbreaks in the country stated that the superintendent’s ineptitude contributed significantly to the outbreak’s severity. The report said that Bennett Walsh was unfit to be superintendent, and alleged that the Baker administration knew of his faults. According to the report, Walsh was not a licensed nursing home administrator and had no relevant experience. Baker said Thursday that Walsh will not continue as the home’s superintendent, and that several other recommendations in the report will be met, including increased inspections and an expanded oversight board.