WSTM Report: Roommates die at Rome nursing home

Two roommates at The Grand in Rome both died of COVID-19 in April, before nursing homes put precautions in place to prevent spread of the virus.

Uncles and grandfathers..

Their families are among those statewide who want to know what went on in state nursing homes..

Reporter mary kielar from our sister station, c-n-y central in syracuse, has this story for us tonight.

Michael grifasi worked at the turning stone casino for 20 years- and his daughter marissa says--he knew everyone.

Sot: marissa grifasi williams-father lived at the grand marissa: everybody loved my dad.

Someone used the phrase, 'he's the mayor of the gnd,' knew so manypeople.

The - old roomate was lenny vetere.

His daughter remembers him as quote - "sharpt as a tack" lenny and michael - as roomates often do - became bonded by friendship.

Their families& months later&are bonded by grief and painfully unanswered questions.

Marissa: you can't go back and undo what didn't happen for my dad, but you can prevent this from happening to someone else.

In 2017 - michael grifasi was 70-years- old and suffering from parkinson's when he moved to "the grand rehab and nursing home" in rome.

He spoke to his daughter marissa often - but he continued to make his own medical decisions.

When the coronavirus outbreak grew in mid-march - the state banned visitors to nursing homes.

In mid-april - marissa&living just outside philadelphia& sensed something was off.

She hadn't heard from her dad.

Her calls of concern to "the grand" eventually revealed her father had symptoms of covid-19.

She told the nurses to call an ambulance.

She called the hospital for an update a short time later.

Marissa: now i'm finding out that the er knew my dad had close contact with someone who had covid.

The grand didn't tell me that, i didn't know that.

That was april 12th - easter day.

Michael grifasi nevre left the hospital.

He died on april 20th.

Marissa:they made him comfortable, obviously, no one could be there, from my family, so, i spoke to the nurse directly, she held his hand so he wasn't alone.

Later grifasi's family would learn that lenny vetere was hospitalized on april 6th his family confirms he was diagnosed with covid-19& remained on a ventalitor&and died april 28th it's now september& kids are returning to school.

Michael grifasi had 4 grandchildren - the youngest he never met.

His daughter - his family - and the family of lenny vetere are among thousands in new york state still awaiting answers senator rachel may: it doesn't look good for the department of health to say they don't have this information my investigation uncovered three specific failures that are evident in the deaths of michael and lenny.

First - is notification of families the grand sent this letter to families of each resident--- dated april 10th.

It says they'll reach out immediately if their loved one is suspected of contracting covid-19.

By then - lenny vetere was already hospitalized - and two days later michael grifasi would join him.

Both families tell me they were never told their loved one had covid-19 symptoms - or was in close contact with someone who had it.

Second - while visitors were shut out of nursing home facilities like "the grand" - workers entered freely with no covid-19 screenings in place.

It wasn't until may 10th --- about a month after grifasi & vetere were hospitalized - that governor andrew cuomo required nursing homes to test their staff at least twice each week.

By then - the curve was beginning to flatten but 21,517 new yorkers had already died.

Lastly - a fact still true to this day: new york's tracking of nursing home deaths remains unknown.

My reporting has uncovered the state health department includes covid-19 deaths in the overall death toll, but few actually count as (nursing home deaths.( that's why the grand's sister facility in chittenango still lists just one death- but the madison county health department has assured me there are at least 10.

Senator rachel may led hearings with the state health commissioner in august-about the impact of the pandemic on nursing homes.

5:14 we were very disappointed at the hearings that the health commissioner didn't have the full information for us about deaths in nursing homes.

I think just acknowledging that problems occurred and that now we have to look with clear eyes at what happened and fix them, that's the way to move forward in august - the state health department conducted an un- announced inspection at "the grand" facility in rome and found no problems. knowing the data is incomplete - the state health commissioner dr. howard zucker promised to release how many nursing home resides died of cod-19 afr being med to hospitals.

How many lenny and michaels there were he made that promise 44-days ago and has yet to deliver i'm mary kielar reporting here's what you can find on