Illinois House Republicans Want Hearings On LaSalle Veterans Home Outbreak

A group of Illinois House Republicans are calling for hearings after a report was released on the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home last fall. A scathing report by the Illinois Department of Human Services Inspector General says “physically absent” leadership and insufficient policies and procedures led to the deaths of 36 veterans and hundreds of COVID-19 cases. The first case of COVID-19 at the Veteran’s Home was reported on November 1st of last year. Within a week, the number of cases had climbed to 60 and soon reached into the hundreds. GOP State Representative Tom Demmer is accusing Governor J.B. Pritzker of covering up the extent of the outbreak early on by issuing a statement November 10th that the Veteran’s Department was doing “an outstanding job” in keeping veterans at the home safe.