* The bad news never seems to end for Gov. Rauner when it comes to the Quincy veterans’ home…
An Air Force veteran who was a guest of Gov. Bruce Rauner at his State of the State speech is among the three new cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the Quincy Veterans Home.
Ivan Jackson, 79, was first hospitalized Saturday, according to daughter Marianne Jackson. She said he initially was admitted for pneumonia, but tests confirmed days later that he has Legionnaires’.
Ivan Jackson was one of two residents Rauner invited to his Jan. 31 speech at the Capitol. Jackson and the governor met when Rauner spent a week at the state-run veterans home to meet with staff, learn about operations and spend time with residents. […]
Rauner was asked about the new cases at a stop in Peoria on Thursday.
“Oh, so frustrating. So we have done everything that the national experts have said we should do. We have, it’s extraordinary what the team has done. We’ve acted quickly and decisively…and still we got a couple cases,” he said. “We may look at completely ripping out every type of plumbing, we may look at building a completely new building, and looking at completely different water source.”
*** UPDATE *** Downward spiral…
It’s kind of amazing that the GA is not debating whether to move those residents the heck out of that place.
- Gettysburgaddress - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 12:49 pm:
WHAT DID GOVERNOR RAUNER KNOW AND WHEN DID HE KNOW IT?
- Norseman - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 12:57 pm:
I don’t know enough to sit a criticize past response, but I will scream bloody murder if the IMMEDIATE response doesn’t include moving folks out of the facility and into other venues until a new facility is constructed. By immediate, I don’t expect to see residents out by the end of the day, but IDPH/VA staff should now be identifying alternative locations, working with residents and family, and entering into necessary contracts to implement the temporary move.
- jimk849 - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:02 pm:
Three times Rauner uses the term we will look at, or we are looking at, no firm plan of action no real commitment. Just some good cya speak about how much his admin. has done.
- Truthteller - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:05 pm:
Rauner is toxic. He needs to be quarantined
- School Finance - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:07 pm:
Maybe it was contracted while at the Capitol?
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:10 pm:
–“We may look at completely ripping out every type of plumbing, we may look at building a completely new building, and looking at completely different water source.”–
While you’re “may looking” at things, for three years now, please get the folks out of there before someone else dies.
I don’t understand why that is not happening. The state clearly does not have a handle on the potentially fatal health risks at that site.
- Dome Gnome - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
Truth really is stranger than fiction.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:46 pm:
Maybe he can shift responsibility of the Quincy Veterans’ Home to the city of quincy.
- Winnin’ - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 1:56 pm:
Are the Quincy Rep and Senator to Rauner like the GOP House and Senate are to Trump?
What are they doing?
- Osborne Smith III - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:03 pm:
==Are the Quincy Rep and Senator to Rauner like the GOP House and Senate are to Trump?==
Let’s ask them. Senator Tracy? Representative Frese?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:12 pm:
Gov. Rauner is more concerned about having victims be props than the concern and well-being of actual people he calls “heroes”?
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:17 pm:
This is an unbelievable spiral. This will haunt him all the way to November, if he makes it that far.
- dbk - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:20 pm:
Not much point in saying “Could it get any worse?”
The facility needs to be closed and the residents re-located, as Durbin proposed when the story broke a couple months ago.
The problem here is: “Who’s in charge?” This seems to me to be the kind of executive action the gov refuses to take.
Durbin/Duckworth sent a letter to the head of the CDC (published on Durbin’s website) that basically asks him whether HE would be willing to take charge.
- Nick Name - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:24 pm:
===“We may look at completely ripping out every type of plumbing, we may look at building a completely new building, and looking at completely different water source.”===
For guy with a half dozen or so mansions, he doesn’t know much about what even one of these would entail.
- Moe Berg - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:51 pm:
Move them into an unused or underused wing of a hospital or nursing home. Solves two problems.
- I Miss Bentohs - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 2:59 pm:
As a veteran, I think some lady candidate is making a commercial as I am typing. Do you think it will also point out “I am not in charge”?
If done well, who could not feel she is the better candidate amongst republicans?
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:19 pm:
Does anyone know the current census at the Quincy VH? If, and this is a big if, the buildings at Jacksonville were shut down properly, that could possibly be an interim location. We also have the women’s facility at Dwight.
- DuPage Bard - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:35 pm:
He’s still defending- his extraordinary team and what they’ve done. Did all these cases happen at the same building that Rauner stayed at or was he somewhere else?
Have the emails been released about who knew what and when?
How has someone not been fired over all this with a competent new person brought in?
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:51 pm:
Rauner clearly has the same concern for the veterans that he did for the residents of his nursing homes.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:54 pm:
AA, I thought they claimed Dwight isn’t even fit to store records. Which is why they gave those Cellini folks the sweetheart contract to store the records.
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:02 pm:
There are safer places we can send these veterans. Uhaul are available and that can start immediately. Caterpillar makes bulldozers, they may even donate a few to take the home. We have General Contractors in Illinois that can build anything.
The logistics are available, now if the Governor and the General Assembly would stop playing the blame game something could be done. Who is the leader who will step forward and start the process?
- Sigh - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:10 pm:
This might sound like a crazy idea, but what if we organized a card shower for the residents of the Quincy Veterans Home to thank them for their service, brighten their day with a random card and let them know that we care. The residents of the home are special people and all of this attention and the unknowns may have some upset.
Maybe some of us could send post cards highlighting the communities that we are from. What do you think Rich, can we have a post next week with the address to the home?
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:26 pm:
Sigh, excellent idea.
The Adjutant Illinois Veterans Home - Quincy
1707 N. 12th Street
Quincy, Illinois 62301
I will be talking to a member of my VFW Post who coordinates sending care packages to troops and see what we can coordinate to send to the Veterans homes as well. If it weren’t for these veterans, those of us who followed would not have had the experience of their examples.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:28 pm:
Anon 3:54, I could be proven wrong, but I assumed the excuse given for Dwight and records storage was pure baloney.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:59 pm:
How is this not willful negligence? C’mon, there’s a body count over three years and the risk is not under control.
Anyplace, please, but there.
Governor, you’re in charge.