Auditor General Report to Slam Pritzker Administration Over Handling of LaSalle COVID Deaths
A report expected this week from the Illinois Auditor General slams the Pritzker administration for its lack of action during a COVID-19 outbreak at the home which killed 36 residents.
An Auditor General report slamming the Pritzker administration’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home that killed 36 residents in late 2020 will be released this week, The Illinoize has learned.
A source who has seen a portion of a summary report, shared portions of it with The Illinoize Monday. It lays out what is expected in the full report that is due for release Thursday morning.
Auditor General Frank Mautino did not return a message Monday night to confirm the report or its scheduled release.
The report will likely reignite the debate over the issue of Governor JB Pritzker and his administration to react and mitigate the deadly outbreak when it began sweeping through the nursing home in November 2020. Pritzker has attempted to minimize the role his administration played in the daily management of the outbreak, but the report will indicate there was daily contact between the home, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Governor’s office, specifically Deputy Governor Sol Flores.
Flores testified before a Senate committee last May, placing much of the blame on former IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia.
“Ultimately, this administration relied upon the people we had hired to get this right,” Flores said at the time. “But when we learned that individuals had fallen short in performing their duties, in some cases severely, we suspended employees, terminated employees and informed others that they would not be continuing in their roles.”
Her statements followed a report by the Inspector General of the Department of Human Services in April of 2021 blaming IDVA for a “lack of COVID-19 preparation.”
The Auditor General will report the Department of Human Services Inspector General did not conduct a full investigation into the handling of the outbreak. The Inspector General conducted voluntary interviews and did not speak to some fired staff, including the former Home administrator. Neither Chapa LaVia, Flores, or other officials in the governor’s office were interviewed at the time, DHS testified.
It isn’t clear yet what further investigation the Auditor General did.
Multiple lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, contacted by The Illinoize Monday either did not return our messages or said they hadn’t seen the report. Neither the Governor’s office or Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs returned messages seeking comment.
The new report will be released as 27 families have filed suit against the state and IDVA for the outbreak. It will likely re-emerge as an issue in the fall campaign, as Pritzker will be attacked for his perceived “failure to protect” veterans in the state’s care.