18 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 7, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Kim presses Hochul to seek ‘justice’
for COVID-19 nursing home victims
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th ough the Cuomo administration ended
more than a month ago, family members
of loved ones who died of COVID-19 in
nursing homes across the state continue to
demand accountability.
Joined by families who still cling to
photographs of loved ones they lost inside
nursing homes during the height of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Assemblyman Ron
Kim touted new legislation outside the
governor’s Midtown offi ce on Sept. 29, but
not without criticizing Governor Kathy
Hochul in the process.
The governor’s office, located on
633 Th ird Ave., saw a crowd of angry
constituents gathered in front of its
entranceway with a clear message:
Cuomo’s resignation in August was not
accountability.
Although the rally was publicized as
the announcement of a new proposed
victim compensation fund that looks to allow
families of those who perished inside
nursing homes to receive monetary
reimbursement for wrongful deaths, Kim
and activist group Voices for Seniors did
not wait long before also letting loose on
both the previous and current governors.
While some lampooned Cuomo for
attempting to escape justice by resigning,
they also charged that Hochul’s silence
during that time made her complicit.
Both Kim and Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams (who’s exploring a run for
governor in 2022) noted that, since
the beginning of the pandemic, they
repeatedly called out the former governor
for what they say was reckless and negligent
actions — such as an order issued on
March 25, 2020, which allowed COVID-
19-positive seniors to be readmitted into
nursing homes and other care facilities.
State offi cials had suggested that the
order was necessary to free up hospital
space at the height of the pandemic, as the
infected seniors were no longer considered
contagious.
“Now, I fi nd it sad and disturbing that
we’re outside, not inside with the governor
to discuss this proposal and other
pending issues surrounding the state’s mishandling
of nursing homes,” Kim said.
“Th e families are still reduced to being on
the streets fi ghting for accountability and
justice. Th is is disturbing because the political
establishment, like Kathy Hochul and
Brian Benjamin are reaping the benefi ts of
the pains and traumas of the families.”
Kim implied that Cuomo had actually
resigned “to avoid accountability for
his March 25, 2020, death order.” In fact,
Cuomo stepped down on Aug. 24, 2021,
aft er becoming embroiled in a sexual
harassment scandal.
If passed, the Nursing Home Victims Act
will be the fi rst ever victim’s compensation
fund and holds the state and for-profi t nursing
home industries accountable for the
wrongful death of a family member during
the pandemic. Additionally, it will amend
the state’s defi nition of wrongful death and
statute of limitations to help victims seek
justice through the courts.
Kim estimates $4 billion for the
compensation fund and states that it also
prevents future constraints on liability for
nursing homes, ensuring nothing like this
occurs again.
Th is legislation means a great deal to
attending individuals such as Tanya Dupree,
who told Schneps Media that her mother,
Sallie, was initially only supposed to spend
two weeks in a rehabilitation center for her
atrial fi brillation heart condition — but
then she caught COVID-19.
“She caught COVID, and by the time
we were able to rush her out to NewYork-
Presbyterian, we were told that there was
nothing they can do and we had to come
and say goodbye. Th at next day we said
goodbye, and the third day she was moved
into hospice and then 30 minutes later she
died,” Dupree said. “My mother did not go
into the rehabilitation center with COVID.
She had other ailments, but she didn’t have
COVID.”
Reports have found that approximately
15,000 seniors died, and activists affi rm that
this was a direct result of Cuomo’s directive.
While Kim was grateful for the full
transparency of the numbers of seniors who
perished during the height of the pandemic,
he believes this eff ort is not enough.
“What the new governor can do, if she
wants to be a part of that, is acknowledge
the wrong that occurred by everyone who
was involved, by all the people who were
silent and to apologize on behalf of the state
for that, to provide the transparency that is
necessary, to not continue the wrong things
that happened before and put some money
on the table to compensate for people’s
pain,” Williams said.
“The families are still reduced to being on the
streets fi ghting for accountability and
justice. This is disturbing because the political
establishment, like Kathy Hochul and Brian
Benjamin are reaping the benefi ts of the
pains and traumas of the families.”
— Assemblyman Ron Kim
Photo by Dean Moses
Assembly member Ron Kim touts new legislation.
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