When Alexa Rivera lost her mother, Anna Martinez, to COVID-19 in a New York nursing home, she never imagined her grief would uncover a systemic failure in elder care. 😢 Rivera blames the state’s 2020 policy requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients for the outbreak that claimed her mother’s life—and dozens of others. \"It was a disaster from day one,\" she said, citing a lack of PPE, staffing shortages, and poor isolation protocols.
An NBC News investigation revealed that a Long Island facility’s compliance with the state mandate led to 24 deaths in 2020, with only three victims being hospital transfers. Critics argue the policy prioritized hospital capacity over vulnerable seniors. 🚨
Rivera’s story highlights a \"Pandora’s box\" of long-standing issues in elder care: underfunding, overcrowding, and fragmented oversight. As families demand accountability, advocates urge reforms to protect seniors in future crises. 💬
