Sen. Muth, Chesco coroner call for probe into veterans’ deaths
EAST VINCENT » State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th, of Royersford, and Chester County Coroner Dr. Christina VandePol are calling for an immediate investigation into the handling of the COVID-19 outbreak at the Southeast Veterans’ Center in East Vincent.
As of Sunday, April 26, 27 COVID-related deaths were reported to the Chester County Coroner’s Office, the most of any facility in Chester County. Conflicting information was provided to the Coroner’s Office regarding whether COVID-19 testing was or was not done in these cases.
Because health care providers employed or contracted by the state are completing the death certificates for all deaths at the facility, the Coroner’s Office is usually unable to fully confirm that what is listed on the death certificate matches with the report provided to the Coroner.
However, the Coroner’s Office does have to review death certificates before cremation can be authorized. In some cases, the cause of death for decedents at the Veterans’ Center was certified as COVID-19, even though testing was never performed, according to the report provided to the Coroner.
Inconsistencies and lack of information from the state and county entities have also shown discrepancies in reporting both positive cases and death counts.
It is unknown whether residents showing signs of COVID-19 were not tested because of a shortage of test kits,or if they were advised by the State and County Health Departments that they could “presume” someone died of COVID-19 under the conditions prevalent at the Veterans’ Center, or if there were other factors that interfered with testing.
On Friday, April 24, Dr. VandePol was told by a source that tests had now been provided by the state and that “everyone” was to be tested going forward. However, on Sunday, April 26, the Veterans’ Center was, again, reporting deaths to the Coroner’s Office as “presumed” COVID-19 deaths with no test performed.
VandePol said “The sheer number of deaths at the Veterans’ Center in such a short period of time warrants an immediate investigation. We have no idea what is going on there or how this outbreak is being handled. Are all COVID-19 deaths being reported to us, as they should be by law? It appears that since Monday, April 27, they are no longer being reported to my office. Are there deaths written off as due to other causes because the residents are not being tested? Are appropriate safety precautions in place for residents and staff? I’ve been informed the State has suspended inspections of long-term care facilities as well as ombudsman programs. Families have little or no access to their loved ones, either. So, this is a closed system with no one able to see what is going on. That’s a recipe for disaster.”
The Southeast Veterans Center is in the 44th Senatorial District
represented by Muth. After three weeks of back and forth with state and county entities, trying to get answers about what was being done to improve the outbreak, Sen. Muth was frustrated and concerned about the lack of clear protocol.
“The situation at the Southeast Veterans is absolutely unacceptable. For the last three weeks, I’ve received calls and emails from concerned family members, worried about their loved ones, asking questions about what’s being done to stop further spread of this virus. Long-term care facilities, like SEVC, are struggling to keep the virus from infecting