SC New York News

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) stood alongside Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-19), Vivian Zayas, Co-founder of Voices for Seniors, and Tracey Alvino, Director of Voices for Seniors, to renew the call for an independent review of the state's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the controversial order for nursing homes to accept COVID-positive individuals.

"We are now four years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, but yet we will still have not had a proper independent, unbiased review of the state's actions taken during the pandemic," Palmesano emphasized. "Specifically, we have no answers about how or why nursing homes were forced to take in patients who had contracted the COVID-19 virus. This resulted in the deaths of 15,000 nursing home patients, as they were among the most vulnerable populations in regard to getting and having a severe response to COVID."

Palmesano stressed the importance of reviewing the policy to understand the decision-making process behind it and the subsequent concealment of death tolls. "It is imperative this independent review take place to help ensure something like this never happens again. To do anything less would be an insult to those who died and their families because of this tragic decision."

The collective effort to push for an independent review by Palmesano, Molinaro, and Voices for Seniors aims to shed light on the events surrounding the COVID-19 response in nursing homes and prevent similar mistakes in the future.