The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Seniors suffer most during pandemic
Loved ones
HARRISBURG » want answers.
In Chester County, nearly 90 percent of all COVID-19 related deaths occurred inside assisted care living facilities. The largest number of deaths occurred at Southeastern Veterans Center in East Vincent.
“An investigation is now going on of what occurred at the southeast veterans’ home,” said State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, who is retiring this year. “If staff or families would like to get their voice into the investigation, they can certainly call my office and we will give their name to the law firm.”
The Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel has hired Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP to investigate the Southeastern Veterans Center on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, established in 1793, and the commonwealth.
Attorney Eric Sitarchuk is leading the case for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Dinniman said the director and another senior person are on temporary leave while the investigation is underway.
“Despite the fact of any allocations that would be given to nursing homes, the problem continues to exist today,” Dinniman said on June 19. “Other states that
The Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel has hired Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP to investigate the Southeastern Veterans Center on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, established in 1793, and the Commonwealth.
surround us, as the State of Maryland had done, used their universal testing and their programs to protect seniors way back in April. We are talking about implementing a testing program in the last weeks of July.
“In my judgement that is most unfortunate because the problem continues to exist in the nursing homes. One of the great failures of this state has been that the state has been slow and lacked a comprehensive
approach to the deaths in nursing homes or personal care facilities.”
He said 70 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths reported in Pennsylvania since March have occurred in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
“If this is a war, you put your biggest resources, your artillery, into the place where the disease is most rampant,” Dinniman said. “And we’re talking about