Desperate for information as coronavirus deaths mounted at the Massachusetts veterans home where her father lived, Susan Kenney drove there with her question written in big letters on her car window: “Is my dad alive?” He was.
But not for long. Kenney's father and 69 others who served their country have died after contracting the virus at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in what has become the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.
As state and federal officials investigate what went wrong, outrage is building among family members and workers who say leadership failed to protect the veterans and allowed the virus to spread unchecked. “Somebody screwed up there," Kenney said, choking back tears. “Somebody needs to be