Senator Helming Statement Calling for Resignation of Health Commissioner

The underreporting of COVID deaths in New York’s nursing homes by as much as 50 percent is a betrayal of the public trust and Dr. Zucker must take accountability for this. I have lost faith in his ability to lead this critical agency and provide information that can be trusted. 

The shocking report released by the Attorney General is sad confirmation for the thousands of families who lost loved ones throughout the COVID pandemic. For months, my colleagues and I have joined Save Our Seniors and others to aggressively push the NYS Department of Health to release this information. This is about real people and real lives. Our seniors should not be treated as data points on some spreadsheet. Now, the Attorney General has done what the Health Department refused to do and I applaud her leadership on this. The families and loved ones of nursing home residents deserve justice and answers.   

We need to follow the facts, investigate fully and ensure that safeguards are put in place to prevent this from ever happening again. 

NYS Attorney General's report: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2021/attorney-general-james-releases-report-nursing-homes-response-covid-19

Background: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/nyregion/nursing-home-deaths-cuomo.html