Health professionals at Holyoke House of Soldiers gave Robert Aucoin, a 78-year-old Air Force veteran, his first chance, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Executive Office for Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Aucoin, who served from 1961 to 1965 as the control tower operator at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, has lived at Holyoke veterans’ home since April 2018.
With a blue Snoopy mask covering his nose, mouth and part of his long white beard, he received an injection at Holyoke’s home through a federal long-term pharmaceutical partnership program with CVS and Walgreens.
“I am very happy to receive the vaccine. My wish is that everyone in the world can receive the vaccine,” he said in a statement.
Another home for soldiers in Chelsea, Massachusetts, administered its first vaccine to Dominic Pitella, a 94-year-old man who has lived there since April 2018. Pitella, a corporal in the U.S. Army Aviation Corps, was a cook for the 559th Air Service Group and served in the Pacific theater in World War II, according to the EOHHS.
“I am hopeful that this will help everyone,” said Pitella.
Governor Charlie Baker praised the vaccinations in a hopeful statement of better things to come.
“Administering vaccines to our frontline health professionals and now to some of our most vulnerable residents at Lar dos Soldados provides relief and hope that there are better days ahead for everyone,” he said in a statement.
“We are pleased to start providing the first dose to the incredible men and women who live on the premises of Holyoke and Chelsea to offer more protection against Covid-19 and we remain grateful to the dedicated team who are working tirelessly to keep our veterans safe and healthy. during the pandemic. “
Vaccinations are a return to the scene of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the spring. At least 94 veterans died, including at least 76 who tested positive for Covid-19, at the Holyoke nursing home, about 90 miles west of Boston, leading to state and federal investigations and charges against two home supervisors.
Two senior nursing home officials face charges
The state’s 174-page investigation of the outbreak described a series of mistakes made by the house, including delays in testing, delays in closing common spaces, insufficient personal protective equipment and a general lack of compassion for veterans.
The most significant error occurred on March 27, when the leadership decided to move two units of veterans into one, combining some that had tested positive for Covid-19 with those that showed no signs of it. According to employee and union accounts shared with CNN, the house has dealt with systemic issues such as staff shortages for years.
A grand jury indicted two house officials in September “for causing or allowing serious bodily injury or neglect of an elderly person during the Covid-19 outbreak,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
Former superintendent Bennett Walsh, 50, and former medical director David Clinton, 71, face 10 criminal cases each. They pleaded not guilty to the charges in November, according to the CNV affiliate WCVB.
The CDC recommended that frontline health care professionals and those in nursing homes be the first to receive coronavirus vaccines, which have been shown to be effective in limiting Covid-19 serious illnesses. About 60% of coronavirus deaths in the United States occurred among people over 75, according to the CDC.
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