Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration – particularly the Illinois Department of Public Health – has come under increased questioning regarding the 36 COVID-19-related deaths at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. | Photo Courtesy of Illinois Governor Facebook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration – particularly the Illinois Department of Public Health – has come under increased questioning regarding the 36 COVID-19-related deaths at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. | Photo Courtesy of Illinois Governor Facebook
Peter Neumer, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) acting inspector general, appeared before the state Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to discuss the April 26 report his department created about the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home last fall.
His appearance came as Republicans continue to raise questions regarding the COVID-19-related deaths of 36 residents and the infections of multiple residents and staff with the coronavirus.
“It is my hope that the report and the findings and recommendations contained in that report will result in [the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs'] development and implementation of improved policies and procedures with respect to infectious disease control,” Neumer told the state Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
The inspector general said that the scope of the investigation was much broader than those investigations typically conducted by the IDPH Office of Inspector General (OIG) and that they brought in contracted help from outside the administration.
“OIG's investigations generally involve discrete events, such as a staff employee inappropriately striking an individual, using insulting language in the presence of an individual,” he told the committee. “We do thousands of these investigations every year and have a strong familiarity with these types of investigations.”
Neumer said that he believed Armstrong Teasdale's involvement helped produce a timely and thorough report and ensured that it was not unduly influenced by agencies that could be affected by the report’s findings.
“I believe that Independence is reflected in our report. I've seen our report described as ‘scathing,’ ‘highly critical’ — I would characterize it as tough but fair,” he told the committee. “It’s a report that is absolutely ground in the facts and that in my opinion contains valuable findings about the root causes of this tragic outbreak — important recommendations about how to prevent such outbreaks in the future.
In the wake of the deaths at LaSalle, Republican lawmakers have indicated that Gov. J.B. Pritzker needs to ensure his administration lives up to campaign promises he made following an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease at the Quincy Veterans Home, according to coverage by the Illinois Valley Times.
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