Officials in a coronavirus-ravaged part of Long Island are demanding a federal probe into deaths at state nursing homes there, they announced Thursday.
Leaders in the Village of Hempstead, Nassau County are making the push as local residents have spoken up about a lack of transparency on the amount of deaths in nursing homes — and a lack of access to the facilities, officials said.
Residents are also concerned about being unable to have proper burials, due to the rising death tolls at the homes.
The village has the largest number of nursing homes — and coronavirus outbreaks, in Nassau County, according to the officials.
Meanwhile, in Suffolk County, a pair of sisters whose mother died of COVID-19 have launched a Facebook page to demand changes from state-licensed nursing homes — and share stories of seniors who have died there.
At least 5,003 nursing home residents statewide have died from COVID-19, according to the most recent figures, which run through May 5.
