9 February 2022: Mary Bassett's "Apathy" for Auditing Cuomo COVID Nursing Home Deaths on Display

Bassett says review of nursing home COVID protocols unlikely

New York Health Commissioner Mary Bassett is signaling she will not support an audit of COVID nursing home deaths that occurred during the period Andrew M. Cuomo's deadly 25 March 2020 directive was in effect.

Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett cast doubt Tuesday that the department plans to review the state’s pandemic policies in nursing homes, disappointing Republicans who have insisted on a third-party investigation and report on controversial practices adopted during the coronavirus public emergency....

A controversial March 25, 2020, DOH memo to send COVID-positive nursing home patients home to their facilities to recover issued by former Health Commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker, Bassett’s predecessor, continues to be the impetus for the lawmakers’ plea for a review.

The proposed legislation would require the department to release within 90 days a public report on its conclusions about early pandemic policies, their impact on the death toll and an action plan for adult-care facilities to prepare for future health emergencies.

Bassett would not answer questions about using the department’s resources to conduct such a review.

“If this is pending legislation, obviously I won’t comment on that,” the health commissioner said. “If it’s passed, of course, we’ll read it.”

Republicans on Monday urged Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul to include the language in her 30-day amendments to her executive budget proposal.

The Democrat-led Legislature is likely to remain united with Bassett’s apathy about the proposed investigation and let the legislation die in committee.

That's likely because an independent investigation would be damaging to the political interests of the legislature's Democratic party majority. That's because the implementation and enforcement of Cuomo's deadly directive required the active participation of hundreds of state government officials, many of whom are still employed within the state's Department of Health.

That's why the party was willing to pursue the sexual harassment allegations against Andrew M. Cuomo with such gusto. It provided a means to surgically remove Cuomo and his top staff while limiting the damage to the interests of the party's members to remain in power.