Illinois Valley Times

Rep. David Welter has raised concerns about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted an Illinois veteran’s home.

“The investigation’s scope was so narrow it exempted the governor's office and (the Illinois Department of Public Health) from any scrutiny, failed to interview crucial witnesses and relied on hearsay and drew conclusions that proved counter to documents provided by IDVA officials,” Welter said at a news conference. “The auditor-general’s report stated the findings in the DHS OIG report did not provide a complete account of the response to the outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home.”

CBS News reported several families of the veterans have submitted lawsuits against Illinois for these deaths.

“Although the (IDPH) officials were informed of the increasing positive cases almost on a daily basis, IDPH did not identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak,” the auditor wrote, CBS News reported. “All but four residents who died were positive prior to the date of the IDPH site visit.”

The audit suggested that the facility was severely mismanaged during the peak of the pandemic, CBS News reported.

“Instead of thanking the auditor-general for his work, Pritzker chose to blame others and offer excuses that do not reflect the previous testimony or the facts obtained by the auditors,” Welter said. “That reaction is not someone who wants to figure out what went wrong and hold people accountable unless it's on his own terms.”

IDPH reported that 33,695 people died from the coronavirus.

“The deputy governor should resign by the end of the day and if she refuses to, then Gov. Pritzker must fire her,” Welter said. “Gov. Pritzker promised accountability to the families. This is his opportunity to follow through on his promise if he meant it.”

Thirty-six veterans died from the coronavirus at the LaSalle Veterans' Home during the 2020 outbreak, according to CBS News.