New Veterans Home at Holyoke opens with focus on safety, staffing improvements

Six years after a deadly COVID outbreak took the lives of dozens of residents at the Old Soldiers Home in Holyoke, the new Veterans Home is set to open up later today with new improvements to resident safety and staffing. And 22 News reporter Nick Antonakis is live in studio with what the new home has to offer and who's expected to be there to celebrate. Kaylee, Julia, it's been a long time coming, but the new and improved Holyoke Veterans Home is set to have its official ribbon cutting later this morning. Governor Maura Healey, Senator Ed Markey, Congressman Richard Neal and more state and local leaders will be in attendance this morning to celebrate this achievement. Construction of the new Veterans Home began back in 2023, transforming it into what is now known as one of the top-ranked Veterans Homes in the entire country. On top of the modernization the improvements bring to the home, when it's all said and done by 2028, the $405 million project will feature 234 long-term care beds and a 30 percent increase in staffing. A state audit from January that followed a deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home found the previous facility failed to ensure nurses could safely monitor veterans' care needs and reduce risk. It also found that the home failed to conduct required emergency drills. The new home now aims to enhance quality of care for all veterans. The ribbon cutting is set to start this morning at 10 o'clock. Working for you, Nick Antonakis, 22 News.