Photo: Mike Macklin (WBZ)
CHELSEA, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — State and federal officials unveiled the new, state-of-the-art soldiers home in Chelsea Friday.
Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and Executive Office of Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea that sits atop Powder Horn Hill.
The new facility replaces the old one built in 1882, where 31 residents died of COVID-19 during the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
"The COVID pandemic made some things painfully and tragically clear," Healey said at Friday's unveiling. "It showed also the resources the staff need and deserve, and the resources that were not always provided to them."
1 of 3 Photo: Mike Macklin (WBZ)
2 of 3 Photo: Mike Macklin (WBZ)
3 of 3 Photo: Mike Macklin (WBZ)
The officials met with some of the 22 veteran residents residing in the facility, which consists of 154 private resident rooms, shared community and green spaces, geothermal walls, and a rooftop solar array.
All residents are expected to be fully moved into the new facility by early 2024. Officials said staff numbers will also be expanded from 300 to 400 members.
WBZ's Mike Macklin reports.
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