Carbondale Reporter

Rep. Dave Severin (R-Marion) addressed the Illinois House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing in December about the communication breakdowns and delays from several agencies.

"Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, and the Illinois Department of Public Health all bear responsibility for the delayed response," Severin said in a release posted to his district website. "That delay has now lead to the death of 33 Illinois veterans in the care of the State of Illinois from COVID-19."

Those delays, the Republican lawmaker claimed in his release, were admitted by LaVia, who did not inform Pritzker about the COVID-19 outbreak at LaSalle Veterans' Home "for several days into the crisis."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Courtesy Photo

"After the first case was detected on Nov. 1, it took 11 full days before the Illinois Department of Public Health had staff inside the facility to help mitigate the outbreak," he said in his post.

Severin also expressed staffing concerns, including the staff's behavior outside of work, issues with the HVAC system and COVID-19 concerns.

"What we learned at the first hearing into the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home is disturbing, and we believe based on witness testimony that this outbreak likely could have been prevented and lives could have been saved," he said in his post. "The people in charge didn't move fast enough, and the consequences have been deadly and tragic."

The District 117 representative cited multiple state departments and the governor for what he viewed as their failure to move faster to stem the veterans' home outbreak.

Severin said the issues aren't political but are severe and need investigating. He demanded hearings on the coronavirus outbreak at LaSalle Veterans' Home and said he would continue to do so.

"Our veterans and their families deserve the truth, and we must work collaboratively harder than ever to ensure this never happens again," Severin said in the release. "We can save lives in the future if we can get answers to questions about the tragic COVID-19 outbreak at LaSalle Veterans' Home. The Legislature must have a continuing role in overseeing the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and indeed all agencies that serve the people of Illinois."