Kendall County Times

Illinois State Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) is blasting Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Deputy Gov. Sol Flores for failure to take action that led to dozens of deaths at a state-run veterans home. 

A state audit found that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, severe mismanagement at the LaSalle Veterans' Home led to the deaths of 36 veterans who died from COVID-19, CBS Chicago News reported. 

Welter made his comments at a news conference and was joined by other Illinois state leaders and legislators.

"I introduced House Resolution 62 because we needed a truly independent and thorough investigation into the LaSalle veterans outbreak," Welter said. "The governor's investigation was deceptive from the start, giving families of lost loved ones false hope of a full and complete picture of what went wrong to cause the deaths of 36 veterans. Instead, the investigation had a predetermined conclusion, assigning blame to only the ones under review. The investigation’s scope was so narrow it exempted the governor's office and IDPH from any scrutiny, failed to interview crucial witnesses and relied on hearsay and drew conclusions that proved counter to documents provided by IDVA officials."

In response to the audit, Pritzker brought up the political environment surrounding the pandemic in 2020, CBS reported.

"Republicans told them that they need not wear masks," Pritzker said. "They told people that they didn't need to get vaccinated. They told people that COVID wasn't serious."

Welter said Pritzker chose to put the blame on others.

"Instead of thanking the auditor-general for his work, Gov. Pritzker chose to blame others and offer excuses that do not reflect the previous testimony or the facts obtained by the auditors. That reaction is not someone who wants to figure out what went wrong and hold people accountable unless it's on his own terms. It's time for the governor to follow through on his promise and hold people accountable, even if we must force him to," Welter said.

CBS reports that the audit found that the Illinois Department of Public Health was receiving updates on a daily basis, but that response was delayed. 

"Although the Illinois Department of Public Health officials were informed of the increasing positive cases almost on a daily basis, IDPH did not identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak," the auditor wrote, according to CBS News. "All but four residents who died were positive prior to the date of the IDPH site visit.”

Welter went on to blame the outbreak on inaction by Flores and called for her resignation. 

"Deputy Gov. Sol Flores said IDVA hid the outbreak severity from her, yet we now know her office was receiving updates as early as day 1 and chose to do nothing. The deputy governor said the administration took immediate action when learning of the outbreak, that as we know did not happen either. The deputy governor previously testified she was coordinating the multi-agency response, but the auditor general's report said she did not recognize the significance of the outbreak until 10 days into it. The deputy governor admitted the response to the outbreak was her responsibility and it's clear she failed. The deputy governor should resign by the end of the day and if she refuses to, then Gov. Pritzker must fire her. Gov. Pritzker promised accountability to the families. This is his opportunity to follow through on his promise if he meant it," Welter said.

The director of the LaSalle Veterans' Home during the pandemic resigned under pressure following the outbreak, according to CBS News.