New Hampshire Democrats pressure Sununu over veterans home
(The Center Square) – Democrats are turning up the pressure on Republican Gov. Chris Sununu over his administration’s handling of a COVID-19 outbreak at a veterans home that sickened nearly 200 and killed 37 elderly residents.
In a letter to Sununu’s office, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley rips the governor’s “sham” report on the outbreak and requests documents related to the state’s response to the outbreak at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton and a report that cleared officials at the long-term care facility of wrongdoing.
“Despite calls from New Hampshire veterans and civic leaders, you have failed to produce an independent report to examine what caused this outbreak, what could have prevented it, and what could have been done to protect our veterans during the outbreak,” Buckley wrote in the March 25 letter.
Buckley requests “any and all” internal correspondence between Sununu administration officials and veterans home administrators leading up to the release of the report.
“New Hampshire veterans, their family members, Veterans Home staff, and all Granite Staters deserve real answers, especially given reports that the Veterans Home experienced PPE shortages and did not receive adequate help with vaccines during the outbreak,” he wrote.
A report released two weeks ago by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services noted that staff members didn’t always follow the best hygienic practices but concluded that overall the facility’s COVID-19 infection prevention and control protocols were sufficient to prevent future outbreaks.
The state agency noted that the veterans home, like many nursing facilities, has struggled amid a lack of gowns, masks and other protective equipment during the height of the pandemic, but it now has an adequate supply.
The review, conducted by HHS’s Health Care Associated Infections Program and Congregate Settings Unit, only covered COVID-19 protocols observed during a one day visit to the facility and not Gov. Chris Sununu’s handling of the outbreak.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Committee is conducting a separate investigation of the outbreak, at Sununu’s request. Details of the probe have not been released.
Democrats have been steadily amplifying their criticism of Sununu, accusing his administration of being too slow to respond to the outbreak at the 250-bed facility. They’ve also criticized his veto of legislation approved by the state Legislature in July calling for an independent investigation into the response to the virus at the state’s long-term care facilities.
Sununu said the investigation shows proper procedures were followed. He has praised Commandant Margaret LaBrecque, who oversees the Veterans Home, over her handling of the outbreak.
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