New name, mission for Holyoke Soldiers' Home Coalition

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Paul Tuthill

Published November 11, 2022 at 8:54 AM EST

Flags and wreaths honor veterans on April 28, on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Mass., where a number of people died due to the coronavirus. While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers' Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care while the state's top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action. — Flags and wreaths honor veterans on April 28, 2020 on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Mass., where more than 80 people died due to the coronavirus.

Group will champion interests of military veterans

An organization that formed to advocate for change in the aftermath of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home has announced a new name and mission.

More than two years after it was created, The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition has become The Veterans Advocacy Coalition.

Its membership is much the same consisting of leaders from local veterans’ organizations, family members, and concerned citizens.

WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with one of the founders of the organization, John Paradis.

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Paul Tuthill

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.

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