Ottawa Democratic St. Rep. Lance Yednock, on the Illinois House Veterans Affairs Committee, wants the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs to come up with answers. The committee held a hearing today on the coronavirus outbreak at the veterans home in LaSalle. The virus has claimed 33 of the residents’ lives since last month started. Today’s hearing into it isn’t intended to be the last.
Morris Republican St. Rep. David Welter wants answers through an independent investigation. He says the governor-appointed inspector general looking into it isn’t satisfactory.
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia says elected officials deserve some of the blame. She claims former LaSalle County State’s Attorney Karen Donnelly told people to disregard the COVID-19 mitigation protocols. There was some shouting between Chapa LaVia and St. Rep. Welter during the online hearing.
Former LaSalle County State’s Attorney Karen Donnelly said she wouldn’t look to prosecute businesses that stayed open safely but would take reports of violations. Donnelly was not involved in today’s hearing and declined to speak further about it this afternoon.
St. Sen. Sue Rezin says the outbreak at the veterans home happened because of a breakdown in protocols and not because of more COVID-19 in the community.
At a future hearing, there could be a roll call of the 33 veterans who died. The members may also call the recently fired veterans home administrator to answer questions. IDVA administrators haven’t given specific reasons for firing her. When asked during today’s hearing, one said it’s a personnel matter and not something to discuss in the public forum.
A state report made public last month found that a non-alcohol hand sanitizer was used in the home. It doesn’t kill the coronavirus. The report also detailed employees not wearing masks properly when they were close to each other while on break for lunch. And it described employees self-assessing for coronavirus symptoms instead of someone else doing it.