Griffo statement on Attorney General’s nursing home report

New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-I-C-Rome, released the following statement today following the release of a report by the state Attorney General’s Office concerning COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes throughout the state:

“The Attorney General’s findings show the deadly and devastating effect that many of the state’s misguided policies have had during the coronavirus pandemic. Equally frustrating is the fact that the state released a report last year investigating their handling of nursing homes and found no problems, proving that the administration should not be trusted to objectively investigate itself.

Today’s report is a stain on the administration’s leadership and credibility and raises significant questions about the state Department of Health’s ability to effectively guide New York through this public health crisis. Those responsible for the activities highlighted by the Attorney General must be held accountable. While I agree that confidence in Dr. Zucker’s ability to run his department has been called into question and that he should step down, we cannot ignore the fact that he works for and reports to the Governor. It is the Governor who must accept and ultimately bear responsibility for the actions of his administration. Accordingly, I am requesting that Sen. James Skoufis convene a hearing of the Senate’s Investigations and Government Operations Committee to get to the bottom of this alarming and appalling situation.

While the Attorney General’s report is a good start, we must continue to work to understand the real impacts of the state’s policies, despite the administration withholding vital information from the Legislature and stonewalling our efforts to uncover the truth. Nursing home residents, and their families, deserve better, deserve transparency and deserve answers to what has transpired in facilities across the state and the state’s role in this tragedy. I will continue to advocate on their behalf and to push for much-needed changes in the nursing home industry as a whole.”

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