36th LaSalle Veterans' Home Resident Dies, Leaders Call for Chapa LaVia to Resign or be Fired
A 36th veteran at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in LaSalle has died in a COVID-19 outbreak in the facility. Meanwhile, state veterans advocates are calling on Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia to resign.
The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs reported a 36th resident at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home has died in a COVID-19 outbreak that has ravaged the facility and its residents since November.
30-percent of residents of the home have now succumbed to the disease.
Meanwhile, after sharing concerns about the lack of transparency from the Pritzker administration in details of the outbreak and response, the Commander of the Illinois Veterans of Foreign Wars has joined veterans’ advocates from around the state calling for the resignation of IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia and her Chief of Staff, Anthony Kolbeck.
In the January 1st letter to Governor JB Pritzker, the group wrote failures to stop the outbreak were unforgivable.
It is with deep regret, that we, the undersigned, must demand the immediate dismissal or resignation of Director Linda Chapa LaVia and Chief of Staff Anthony Kolbeck for their misfeasance and nonfeasance concerning the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak at the various Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Homes. As the leading advocates for veterans, in the 10th most veteran populous state, we have simply lost confidence in their ability lead. We are concerned about actions that took place under their leadership as well as actions that did not take place under their leadership. These include, but are not limited to:
- In a consultative visit by the VA’s VISN-12 Infection Control Lead on 11/12/2020 it was found that a non-alcohol-based hand sanitizer, ineffective against COVID-19, was found to be used in all mounted dispensers throughout the La Salle Veterans Home. This occurred several months after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended that only specific alcohol-based hand sanitizers be used. According to Illinois House Testimony by Department staff, this occurred inat least one other State Veterans Home.
- Additionally, unapproved Personal Protective Equipment was being used and there was found to be no temperature monitoring staff found to be at the employee entrance at the time of the consultative visit.
- A key position in preventing such issues, the Senior Homes Administrator, was left vacant for over a year despite a majority of that time being during a Pandemic that has been known to have a detrimental impact on long-term care facilities. There is no excuse as to why that position, one which oversees all State Veterans Homes, would remain vacant for that long.
- Until mid-December, there was no standardized notification letter that reported standard information for the outbreaks across the State Veterans Homes. In fact, it appeared that the Quincy Veterans Home altered their notification letter to remove information in early December after a new outbreak started there. That is despite promises from Department leadership to be “transparent” and leads us to the conclusion that Department leadership was aware of and directing these actions or that they were simply asleep at the wheel. Our veterans deserve better.
LaSalle County Veterans’ Assistance Commission Superintendent Steven Kreitzer also signed the letter. He told the LaSalle News-Tribune his concerns have been ignored by Chapa LaVia.
“I have brought my concerns directly to [Chapa LaVia] on multiple occasions only to have her not take them seriously and not fully investigated,” Kreitzer said. “I’m astonished that as we continue to dig into this situation more things keep getting discovered.”
Last month, we asked Governor Pritzker if Chapa LaVia had offered her resignation and he said she had not. He declined to give her a vote of confidence while an internal investigation plays out.
