Kendall County Times

Several deficiencies at the LaSalle Veterans' Home resulted in the deaths of 36 veterans, mainly due to the home's lack of COVID-19 infection control plans or policies, according to a report by the Illinois Department of Human Services' Office of the Inspector General.

Despite the well-known threats of coronavirus transmission in places like long-term care facilities, the study discovered that during the COVID-19 outbreak, the LaSalle home, one of four state-run veterans homes, had no documented policies or an outbreak plan.

"The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs had an entire year before the COVID outbreak to implement the recommendations from the Quincy audit," Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said in a May 1 Facebook post. "Had they done that, we would have averted a huge loss of life."

The 50-page study explained how the facility was unable to handle an infection outbreak, leading to an inadequate outbreak response compounded by disorganized leadership at both the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) and the home.

Former IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia and her Chief of Staff Tony Kolbeck, as well as former LaSalle Home Administrator Angela Melbrech, are among those accused of significant leadership deficiencies, according to the report.

The report came after the outbreak at the veteran's home claimed the lives of roughly a quarter of the home's residents; LaVia initially requested an investigation from the DHS Inspector General on Nov. 24 after the confirmed 27 veteran deaths.

The IDHS investigation included 29 individual interviews and the review of hundreds of records as well as the analysis of COVID-19 data, trends, and protocols within the LaSalle home, along with an examination of IDVA's preparation, response, and compliance with protocols and regulations, Capitol News Illinois reported.