Senate Republican Deputy Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) issued the following statement on today’s Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the LaSalle Veterans’ Home COVID-19 outbreak:
“Today’s hearing underscores the need for a truly independent investigation conducted by our state’s Auditor General. While I appreciate and respect the Inspector General, the fact that not a single member of the Pritzker Administration who oversaw the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Department of Public Health was interviewed is completely unacceptable.
“The tragedy that unfolded at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home cannot be understated. The residents of the LaSalle Veterans’ Home and their families trusted the Department of Veterans’ Affairs with their care and our state failed that trust, leading to the death of 36 heroes.
“It is beyond frustrating that life-saving recommendations that should have been implemented after the 2019 Quincy Veterans’ Home audit were ignored. The severity of this outbreak could have been prevented if those recommendations had been implemented and those responsible for ignoring them should be held accountable.”