Independent report released on COVID-19 Cases at LaSalle Veterans Home

 
 
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs released an independent report that was requested by the Governor’s Office last fall to fully investigate a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans home and detailed its progress on corrective actions that the agency began taking last fall.
The report was conducted by the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, and it outlines their findings regarding the regulations and protocols at the home, among other data points.
Starting last fall and now under the leadership of recently appointed Acting Director Terry Prince, IDVA is implementing corrective actions and has already taken steps to meet many of the recommendations prior to receiving the report on Monday. This includes forming new Infection Control Committees at each of the veterans’ homes led by an Infection Control Director, restructuring senior leadership, and streamlining and strengthening department policies and internal communications.
View the complete report here.
On April 1, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker appointed Terry Prince, a 31-year Navy veteran with deep experience in military and veterans’ medical care, to serve as Acting IDVA Director. Prior to this role, Acting Director Prince was Superintendent of the Ohio Veterans Homes and Command Master Chief at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The new Acting Director is focused on increased visibility and communication for department leadership, improved organizational structure and staff training, and hiring for several new and vacant roles for the agency.
“There is nothing more critical to our department’s mission than ensuring the heroes in our homes are safe and receive the quality care they deserve,” said Acting IDVA Director Terry Prince. “As the acting director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and as a Navy Veteran of more than 30 years, my heart breaks for the families who lost loved ones to COVID-19 in our Veterans’ Homes. In my prior role, I led the Ohio Veterans’ Homes and saw firsthand the enormous challenges this pandemic unleashed on the state facilities that care for our heroes. Lessons learned there and here in Illinois from this unprecedented crisis are already being implemented as we work to make IDVA the department that our veterans deserve. Let me be clear, we will seize any and every opportunity to better ensure the safety of veterans in our care and every single corrective action outlined in this report will be implemented with urgency.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, IDVA and the LaSalle Veteran’s Home implemented policies and procedures aimed at reducing the risk of outbreaks among staff and residents. At the beginning of the pandemic, all IDVA homes followed recommendations outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) regarding face masks, social distancing, and handwashing, among other guidelines. In the early days of the pandemic, IDVA restricted visitation to veterans’ homes to protect residents and staff from community spread and prevent COVID-19 from entering the homes.
In the wake of the November 2020 outbreak, the LaSalle Home took additional measures as advised by IDPH to slow the spread of the virus. Those measures included, but were not limited to, daily antigen testing for all staff, additional instruction regarding the use of PPE, and additional vital monitoring for residents who had previously tested positive for COVID-19. The LaSalle home has also established a quality assurance committee to identify and remedy any shortcomings regarding infection control.