Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visited Holyoke Aug. 14 for the groundbreaking of a new $482 million reconstruction of the state's Veterans Home that will ultimately house 234 long term care beds.
She told the hundreds gathered for the ceremony that the renewal of the facility, once known as the Soldier's Home, is a labor of love and respect for her administration. Most importantly, though, Healy described the project as being all about the veterans and their families, according to Spectrum News.
"This is a $482 million investment in our veterans," she said. "It's going to be a facility that veterans, their families [and] the entire state of Massachusetts will be so proud of. And we want to be clear that our investment in the home symbolizes a next level of care and commitment to veterans and their families all across the state."
Healy was joined at the Veterans Home kickoff event by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District and Massachusetts Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago, among other federal, state and local officials.
The Holyoke facility was the site of a mass COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 which led to the deaths of 76 veterans. Since then, the state made the Secretary of Veterans Services a cabinet-level position to ensure veterans get needed attention and resources.
"We are committed to making sure that Massachusetts is second to no one when it comes to veteran services," Santiago said. "And to do so not just with words, but with actions, because actions are what the Healey-Driscoll administration has been taking."
He also noted the $11.5 million increase in funding the governor signed into the state budget recently, calling it the largest state investment ever for veterans services.
Last March, Santiago announced that the state's Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) completed the necessary final steps to ensure compliance and receive grant funding through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) State Home Construction Grant Program.
The Holyoke Veterans' Home then entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the VA, committing $263.5 million in federal funds; $164 million of the grant was awarded this fiscal year, with the remainder to be paid out in future fiscal years.
"Working with our local, state and federal partners, and under the leadership of Secretary Santiago and the team at the Executive Office of Veteran Services, we will continue our work to revitalize both Veterans Homes, enhancing personnel and facilities to provide nothing less than world-class care for our veterans," Healy noted.
Veterans Home to Be Transformed Into 21st Century Facility
Having served as a long-term healthcare facility for veterans in the state since 1949, the Holyoke Soldiers Home has played a vital role for more than seven decades. The newly constructed (and renamed) Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke will offer essential nursing support and meticulously designed community spaces.
"I would like to thank Veterans Administration Secretary Denis McDonough, who I have been in regular communication with over the past several years, for recognizing the significant impact a project of this magnitude will have on our veteran community," Neal remarked at the groundbreaking. "Three years ago, we gathered here after 76 veterans tragically lost their lives. At that time, we promised to deliver change that would prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Today, we are delivering on that promise."
Further enhancements for the reconstruction project include upgraded clinical spaces, a 30-bed memory care floor and a 40-person adult day health program catering to community-residing veterans, according to a news release on Mass.gov.
Additionally, a memorial garden at the facility's entrance will honor veterans, especially those lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new Veterans Home will gradually replace the existing Soldiers' Home facility through phased construction with the aim of keeping disruptions to a minimum. The building project is expected to be finished by late 2026, with complete site restoration anticipated by the summer of 2028.
"Our mission is to honor those who have selflessly served our nation," Santiago added. "Though the past remains immutable, the future is ours to shape. The Holyoke Veterans Home reconstruction project is our unwavering commitment to ensuring that Massachusetts veterans receive exceptional long-term care. Their sacrifices for our freedom should never be forgotten or taken for granted."
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