Lawmaker Wants Independent Investigation Into Nursing Home Deaths

NORTH FORK, NY — As the number of Suffolk County nursing home deaths related to the new coronavirus continues to rise, New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) has called for an independent investigation.

Currently, one-third of the state’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in nursing homes, which are regulated by New York State and following directives from New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, and the New York State Department of Health, Palumbo said.

Before Sunday, Cuomo and the DOH mandated that nursing homes admit COVID-19 positive patients into their facilities, Palumbo said. On Sunday, Cuomo announced new measures, requiring nursing homes to transfer residents if they are not capable of providing proper care, including meeting staffing and protective equipment requirements.

Nursing home staff, he said, must also be tested twice a week for COVID-19.

And, Cuomo said Sunday, hospitals cannot discharge patients to a nursing home until they test negative. Penalties for not complying could include losing operating licenses, Cuomo cautioned.

The directive, Palumbo said, "was done too late for many seniors. According to recent reports, over five percent of New York nursing home patients have succumbed to COVID-19."

According to state data as of Monday, Suffolk County has 450 confirmed deaths due to coronavirus, with 227 coronavirus-presumed deaths.

“From the very beginning of this crisis we have known how deadly COVID-19 could be in these facilities and yet it appears that the state failed to provide essential PPE to nursing homes and instituted dangerous policies that resulted in countless deaths,” Palumbo said. “There needs to be a full and independent investigation into this disaster to determine how and why our most vulnerable New Yorkers were placed in unsafe environments with deadly results.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has said supplies of PPE have been ongoing to facilities including nursing homes, with millions of pieces delivered countywide to hospitals, fire departments, nursing homes and other front line facilities.

In addition to the independent investigation, Palumbo would like a a review of what policies need to be adopted to avoid future tragedies.

“State government has an obligation to get to the bottom of how things went so horribly wrong in New York’s nursing homes and what we can do to prevent these types of tragedies in the future,” Palumbo said. “I am not calling for an investigation to cast blame. Now is not the time for that, instead, I am looking to prevent unnecessary deaths and to better protect New York’s seniors.”

Peconic Landing in Greenport, according to the state data, reported six deaths as an adult care facility and three presumed ACF deaths. In a letter to the public, Peconic Landing clarified that there had been a total of 12 deaths and set out to clarify the discrepancy in the numbers reported. The Peconic Bay Skilled Nursing Facility in Riverhead reported 15 coronavirus related deaths, while the Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation reported seven deaths and one presumed death. The Westhampton Care Center reported 13 deaths, and the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing reported five deaths and 14 presumed coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state data.

For a complete list of nursing home deaths and presumed COVID-related deaths at nursing homes and adult care and assisted living facilities, click here.

Palumbo represents the Second Assembly District of New York, which includes portions of Brookhaven Town and all of Riverhead and Southold. He is also a candidate for New York State Senate District 1 in the upcoming race.