(The Center Square) — An Illinois state Senator said the families of victims from the worst disease outbreak of a state-run veterans’ home can’t wait for answers from investigations that could take months.
They need answers now.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said there’s an ongoing inspector general investigation. It could be months before any determination is released about the outbreak from early November that has killed 34 residents.
On Friday, a law firm announced on behalf of victims’ families it is conducting its own investigation regarding last month’s COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.
“What we’ve seen in looking at other cases is that there’s a consistent pattern of gross negligence among facilities where these massive outbreaks happen,” Levin & Perconti founding partner Steven Levin said. “There are well-documented ways to protect nursing home residents from infection, clearly outlined in federal guidelines, but when leaders fail to put those protocols into practice, we see the results. These are predictable and avoidable tragedies.”
If proven, the state could face tens of millions of dollars in liabilities.
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said the legislature must have more public hearings. Victims’ families can’t wait.
“We’re not going to wait for the claims to work its way through the judicial system,” Rezin said. “We need to have hearings today so that our questions can be answered immediately.”
Rezin said questions remain, including why it took 12 days for the state’s public health department to visit the facility.
“They talked about an operational process that they put in place to make sure to stop the spread but nobody seems to be able to answer the questions within those 12 days,” she said.
A health consultant told a House committee that an inspector general is investigating the timeline.
Rezin said another question is how much federal COVID-19 aid the Pritzker administration received for PPE and other safety measures.
“And was that money used at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home or was that money used somewhere else?” Rezin said.
The Senate and the House have held hearings on the matter, but Rezin said it’s important they continue. She said it’s unacceptable if the administration doesn’t cooperate.
“The Department of Public Health has taken the stance that they refuse to attend the hearings and answer any questions about those specifics citing the independent investigation that’s going on,” she said.
Previous hearings highlighted a federal veterans’ affairs report of ineffective face coverings and hand sanitizer, lax employee screening, poor ventilation and other issues the Pritzker administration said have since been corrected.
“Media reports say that many staff members attended an off-site Halloween party that might have led to the outbreak, the second experienced by the veterans facility,” Levin & Perconti said in a statement. “Other reports indicate that staff members were given 3-day tests for the virus and continued to work at the facility during the 3-day period while they awaited results. The state’s Dept. of Veterans Affairs has admitted that hand sanitizer used at the facility was found ineffective against the virus.”
Additional public hearings are expected in both chambers sometime after the holidays.