Kinzinger: Feds Offered Help at LaSalle Veteran's Home
Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) prepares for a TV interview at the Capitol in June.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon), who represents the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, revealed in a radio interview yesterday that the federal Department of Veterans Affairs had offered its assistance in stopping further spread at the LaSalle facility.
That offer was apparently declined.
Kinzinger revealed the discussions in an interview Thursday on WCMY Radio in Ottawa.
“How come you would not take federal government support,” Kinzinger asked. “I do think its kind of interesting that, in the middle of the federal government offering help to the State of Illinois, you had this situation where the Governor constantly about how the federal government’s failing because we were in the middle of an election.”
The outbreak at the facility was first reported on November 1st, two days before the election. It began with four cases. 31 Veterans have now died.
The Governor’s spokesperson, Jordan Abudayyeh, denied the claim.
“The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) was in regular communication with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USVA). In fact, on November 5, USVA asked if the home needed assistance with PPE and the home administrator asked for additional N95 masks. USVA provided thousands of masks to be used at LaSalle and other veterans homes. On November 9, USVA asked IDVA if they would like to have an infection control consultation and IDVA responded yes. IDVA also asked for IDPH to conduct an onsite consultation as well. Both of those visits were completed just three days later, the recommendations were implemented and the reports were made public. After the site visit, USVA offered to make infection control experts available for further assistance and IDVA has requested that assistance.”
Kinzinger spokesperson Maura Gillespie said it was later requests that were declined.
“The [VA] was offering assistance to the LaSalle Veterans' Home to send infection control experts to assist. Our staff was briefed on that, on November 19th during a phone call with the VISN Network Director who confirmed that the USVA had been checking in daily to see if the State needed help. They were not taken up on their offer until the State finally requested that help at the end of November.”
The current role of the VA in managing the outbreak isn’t clear.
