HOLYOKE, Mass. — The seven-member board that governs the veterans' home in Massachusetts that had one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the country has three new members, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, and Lt. Col. Mark Bigda were named to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home board of trustees on Wednesday, while Brigadier Gen. Sean Collins was appointed in July.
“As the home continues to protect and care for the veteran residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the appointment of these three trustees to the board will bring expertise that will benefit residents of the home, help steer its leadership and fortify its clinical expertise,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
Keefe, Adjutant General for the Massachusetts National Guard, is replacing a trustee whose seven-year term ended in July.
Bigda is a practicing physician who currently serves in the Massachusetts Air National Guard as a flight surgeon for the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.
Collins is a nurse practitioner who currently serves as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Deputy Surgeon General.
Seventy-six residents of the state-run facility died after contracting the disease and dozens of other residents and staffers were sickened. The home’s former superintendent and chief medical officer face criminal neglect charges.
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