Ortt, Republicans in Legislature want review of state’s ‘disastrous’ Covid response

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

ALBANY – New York State Senate and Assembly Republicans, U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, Voices for Seniors Co-Founder Vivian Zayas and Director Tracey Alvino and colleagues from their conferences gathered at the Capitol on Monday, marking the fourth anniversary of the Department of Health directive that forced nursing homes to accept Covid-positive patients.

Rob Ortt

The infamous order was a public health catastrophe that had devastating effects on nursing home populations and directly contributed to the almost 15,000 Covid deaths in long-term care facilities during the pandemic.

The group renewed its calls for the long-awaited independent review of the state’s disastrous Covid response. Despite commitments from the Hochul Administration to conduct an investigation, little to no progress has been made.

As thousands of families continue to wait for answers, the investigation process has only recently identified an outside consultant – Virginia-based The Olson Group, Ltd.. In addition lawmakers on Monday urged the governor to finally convene the “Reimagining Long-Term Care Task Force,” which has also been delayed.

“The best way to ensure New York is better prepared in the future, is to openly and honestly assess the mistakes of the past,” said New York Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt. “Thousands of families continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones in nursing homes due to the disastrous March 25th directive from former Governor Cuomo. They deserve the thorough, transparent investigation that was promised, not more inaction from their state government.”

Senate and Assembly Republicans have repeatedly requested legislative hearings equipped with subpoena power to seek answers and provide accountability for the families who lost loved ones due to the previous administration’s mishandling of the pandemic. The now publicly disclosed intentional omission of information by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his staff, and the damaging reports from Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Attorney General Letitia James support the need for further examination of the state’s Covid pandemic response by an independent entity.

“Four years of unanswered questions, four years of families grieving, four years of zero transparency,” said Will Barclay, leader of the Assembly Republican Conference. “Under no circumstance should the 2020 nursing home directive ever have been tolerated. Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul promised families an independent review of the state’s policies during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic; New York families are still awaiting that review.”