Deadly Impact on Veterans Homes

As widely reported, New York state is experiencing a reckoning over actual Covid-19 nursing homes deaths and those reported earlier.

The Veterans Affairs system is having a similar grim reality. In August, as reported in the December 2020 American Legion magazine, an outbreak at the VA Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home, in Hilo, Hawaii, resulted in the death of at least 27 veterans and their spouses. The article stated that although visitations were restricted early, testing and other prevention techniques were slow to be employed, resulting in Covid-19 spreading unabated.

Blame can also be placed at the feet of the Avalon Health Care Group, a private company contracted to manage the facility.  The American Legion article notes that Avalon has had run-ins with inspectors from the Medicare and Medicaid Services before, resulting in fines, since their arrival at Yukio in 2007. 

Policies are just now being put in place that would have prevented the rapid spread initially to save lives, to include the response team that is addressing issues with medical staff, sanitation improvements, and other critical components. Avalon went on to minimize their part in the deaths stating that they acted appropriately and early and like other senior facilities, for example, on the east coast, residents were the most vulnerable. 

In conclusion, data demonstrate that approximately 40% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. come from senior residential facilities, including VA homes, but the lack of comprehensive data makes it difficult to determine. Better data collecting, prevention techniques and Covid-19 vaccinations are the solution. 

Sam Alix is a co-founder of CHAMP, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing wellness activities to veterans and their families. Learn more at www.champ.vet.