STATEMENT FROM SENATOR SUE SERINO

HYDE PARK, NY— Senator Sue Serino today released the statement below following news of Attorney General Letitia James’ bombshell report finding New York has severely undercounted the amount of COVID-19 in New York nursing homes:

“This report is a big step in the right direction, and I sincerely thank the Attorney General for putting politics aside to do what is right for these vulnerable New Yorkers and their loved ones. The Attorney General’s report confirms what we have feared for months, that New York has been severely undercounting the number of COVID-19 deaths linked to our nursing homes, and that state guidance that forced COVID-positive patients into these vulnerable facilities put residents at risk.

Data matters. It can improve policy and save lives. I have said since day one that our push for this kind of data was driven by a desire to ensure the state was doing everything in its power to protect vulnerable residents during the pandemic. The report reaffirms the need for a full, independent investigation of the data the state continues to withhold. It is time for the Legislature to follow the AG’s lead, put politics aside and leverage its full subpoena power to get to the bottom of the policies and subsequent cover-up that fueled this negligence for too long. We will not stop pushing for the transparency, accountability, and a better path forward that these residents and their loved ones deserve.”

Senator Sue Serino is the Ranking Member of the State’s Aging Committee and has been actively calling on the Legislature to leverage its subpoena power to provide full transparency on COVID-19 related deaths in New York's nursing homes.  

-30-