Illinois Valley Times

In a speech calling for accountability in the wake of the 36 COVID-related deaths at the LaSalle Veterans' Home, state Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) questioned the Pritzker administration’s lack of leadership.

Questions are still left unanswered, according to him.

“How could the governor and his team have allowed this to happen knowing that our veterans were at risk prior to this pandemic? This question will continue to haunt the families of the heroes that we lost at the LaSalle Home and other veterans' homes across the state,” Welter said.

Welter noted that after the Legionnaire's outbreak at the Quincy Veterans' Home, recommendations were made ito prevent another outbreak. 

Welter said that an audit assessed over 250 protocols, policies, and procedures at four state-run veterans’ facilities that focused on “health, safety and public health emergencies and water management programs.”

“The audit identified 16 weaknesses relevant across the Illinois veterans’ homes and issued 22 specific recommendations to address them in order to ensure the health and safety of the residents, employees, and visitors,” he said. “Unfortunately, these recommendations were largely not acted upon by this administration, demonstrating a lack of leadership on the part of the former director (Linda) Chapa LaVia in the critical months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Home."

Welter said the Republican caucus will not cease from calling on accountability.

“House Republicans will continue our efforts to hold this administration accountable on their failure to protect our veterans in the state's care and most importantly we will not rest till sweeping changes are made at the state to prevent these future outbreaks and to actually finally implement these policies.”

The report released by the Illinois Department of Human Services Inspector General revealed that failures in leadership helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the veterans home, killing 36 veterans and sickening veterans and staff.