I don’t want to continue to fight with these people. I just want to hug my mom.”

Charlie Galligan

This week marks the one-year anniversary that the reality of the pandemic landed in Rhode Island — restaurants shuttered, schools were closed, and, most devastatingly for so many Rhode Island families, visitation at nursing homes was suspended.

For Bristol’s Charlie Galligan, whose mother Audrey has been a resident of St. Elizabeth Manor since suffering a traumatic brain injury nearly a decade ago, it was twice as hard. Not only were his frequent visits suspended, but so were those of his father, Jack, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and lives with Charlie and his wife Kerry. For Charlie, Jack’s bewilderment at his isolation from his beloved wife has compounded his pain.

As Charlie tells it, he went along with the restrictions gamely at first, but less so following the summer 2020 announcement by then-Gov. Gina Raimondo that restrictions were being relaxed on casinos and strip clubs — but not nursing homes.

Since then, Charlie has been on a crusade to bring common-sense visitation reform to nursing homes around the state.

Locally, it looked like relief may have come on Dec. 14 when Gov. Raimondo’s administration announced the Essential Caregiver plan, which was to provide a framework to allow specific family members routine access to their loved ones, but according to Mr. Galligan, that program has not actually worked out as planned.

“The problem is, execution of the plan was optional for nursing homes,” he said. “And very, very few have complied.”

Advocates for visitation have turned to legislative relief, and there are currently two bills pending in the House: H5543, An Act Relating to Health and Safety - Rights of Nursing Home Residents, co-introduced by June Speakman (D-68); and H5547, An Act Relating to Health and Safety - Patient Visitation Rights. Both were heard in committee on Monday, March 8, and Mr. Galligan was present — along with industry leaders who he claimed painted a very misleading and rosy picture of what is actually happening at nursing homes.

“My request for visitation was actually initially denied,” said Mr. Galligan, of his efforts to avail himself of the Essential Caregiver policy. “I had to grovel for a week. It’s inhumane. Most families simply give up.”

The DOH further clarified their visitation policy three weeks ago, using stronger language, saying that “Facilities that have not had any positive COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days may not restrict visitations without a reasonable clinical or safety cause … Failure to facilitate visitation, without adequate reason related to clinical necessity or resident safety, would constitute a potential violation.”

“Their tone is more forceful, but the administrations at these nursing homes continue to milk these restrictions,” said Mr. Galligan. “Families assume they can go back in, but then the homes employ all these linguistic loopholes to continue to keep them out.”

‘Banniversary’ rally Friday

In an effort to raise awareness of these ongoing restrictions and to show gratitude for the heroic staff members who have worked tirelessly for the past year, Mr. Galligan is among a group of concerned citizens holding a rally this Friday, March 12, at noon at the State House, to mark the one-year anniversary since nursing homes were closed to routine visitation. At 1 p.m., a moment of silence will be held for those who have been lost since the lockout began. All who support a safe, merciful reintroduction of visitation are welcome, as are any who wish to publicly share their family’s story.

For more information on the rally, contact Mr. Galligan at 401/253-3518 or email charlieinvestigates@gmail.com.

“We need to raise awareness — the average family member does not think they have any rights, but more and more people are finding the courage to speak up,” said Mr. Galligan. “We developed a vaccine for this thing in eight months; we haven’t figured out how to allow visitation in a year?”

“I don’t want to continue to fight with these people. I just want to hug my mom.”