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* UPDATED x1 * Hearing summation: Deflection, deflection, opaqueness, opaqueness

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* From the Tribune’s LaSalle Veterans’ Home hearing coverage…

Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Republican from Sycamore, called for agency officials to accept more responsibility for the deadly outbreak, setting off a testy exchange with Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia.

“I haven’t heard why it took two weeks, in the midst of an explosion of this virus in the surrounding community, to screw down on these protocols tighter, to make sure that these obvious issues in hindsight were taken care of,” Keicher said.

“What I’m curious about is, when is someone going to own this?” he asked. “We all feel bad, we all are devastated at the loss of these 33 individuals, but I keep hearing dodges, I keep hearing explanations. I don’t hear ownership.”

Chapa LaVia said she is ultimately responsible for the department, and referenced the ongoing investigation. “If there’s another idea, please bring it forward right now. These are the resources and tools I have to investigate my own department and to see what went wrong,” she said.

We hear this a lot from this administration: If legislators have ideas, they should offer them. But legislators legislate and oversee implementation. The executive branch executes. That branch is responsible for making sure things get done. And things obviously weren’t done properly at the LaSalle home or a quarter of the residents wouldn’t have died.

* This absolutely has to change. No way are local health departments up to this task…

In response to questions about the immediate response from state and local agencies to the outbreak, Hart said the LaSalle County Health Department is the first line of defense.

“(Local department of public health officials) are the people who actually notify IDPH of the outbreak and send updates to IDPH, and I cannot speak for the local health department. But I am aware that they provided extensive guidance to the La Salle Veterans’ Home in the very early days of the outbreak on a number of topics, including how to manage the cohorting of the residents, how to handle the PPE, etc. So there was an active intervention by the local health department in that very early phase,” Hart said.

Hart said an IDPH team visited the home on Dec. 14 to review the infection control practices put in place since the onsite visits.

That health department can’t even convince local elected officials to enforce the mitigations, a topic we’ll get to in a bit.

* As we saw with the Quincy debacle, an accurate, complete timeline is vital…

But the committee wants a specific timeline of events, like when did state health officials do an on-site visit at the LaSalle home? Who requested it and when? How long did it take? How about federal VA officials?

* I asked the governor yesterday why IDPH didn’t send anyone to the hearing. They did send a consultant, but…

A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said department officials sent consultant Dr. Avery Hart, but he couldn’t answer all the questions posed by committee members.

“I wasn’t in the mix at that point so I don’t think I would comment,” Hart said. “I know there’s an independent investigation by the inspector general to clarify the timeline.”

Hart had to leave the nearly four-hour meeting early.

Unacceptable. IDPH needs to come clean with the General Assembly about its role.

* And while other states are having these very same problems, that doesn’t excuse Illinois one bit…

At the 150-bed Bill Nichols State Veterans Home, one of Alabama’s largest individual hot spots, 96 residents have tested positive for coronavirus and 46 deaths have been attributed to Covid-19.

In New York, a government-run veterans home had the third deadliest reported outbreak in the state, with 72 confirmed and probable Covid deaths. Massachusetts’ Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was linked to more deaths—at least 76—than any other facility in the state as of late October, leading to criminal charges against two former managers, who both pleaded not guilty.

In New Jersey, the top two nursing homes for Covid deaths were both state-run veterans facilities, including the Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home, which a Wall Street Journal investigation found is perhaps the deadliest home in the country, with 101 Covid-linked deaths.

* And let’s hope that IDVA has learned its lesson before this current Quincy problem gets even worse…

December 16, 2020

To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy:

Since our last COVID-19 update there have been five (5) additional cases of COVID-19 among residents at our home, for a total of seventy-five (75) COVID-19 cases among residents since the start of the pandemic. To date, thirty-eight (38) residents have recovered from COVID-19. Unfortunately, One (1) resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away since our last update, with four (4) residents total having passed away due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Additionally, since our last COVID-19 update there have been four (4) additional cases of COVID-19 among employees at our home, for a total of one hundred thirty-one (131) COVID-19 cases among employees since the start of the pandemic. To date, one-hundred and nine (109) employees have recovered from COVID-19.

*** UPDATE *** I asked Gov. Pritzker today if he still has confidence in IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia…

I want to know everything that occurred here and that’s why the investigation that is ongoing is going to be extraordinarily informative and, again, I’m going to hold accountable people who deserve to be.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 12:10 pm

Comments

Here’s a clarification: Dr. Hart has been consulting with IDPH since early in the pandemic on long-term care facilities. There’s a team of experts in various areas that IDPH convened for COVID-19 response and support, developing guidelines, etc. People might not like hearing “consultant,” but when there’s talk about “the doctors” and “the scientists” and “the experts,” these are the people.

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 12:29 pm
=== “What I’m curious about is, when is someone going to own this?” he asked. “We all feel bad, we all are devastated at the loss of these 33 individuals, but I keep hearing dodges, I keep hearing explanations. I don’t hear ownership.”

Chapa LaVia said she is ultimately responsible for the department, and referenced the ongoing investigation. “If there’s another idea, please bring it forward right now. These are the resources and tools I have to investigate my own department and to see what went wrong,” she said.===

Anything less than a resignation after that quote…

I still can’t believe Chapa LaVia is still the director

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 12:31 pm
What went wrong is that they claimed they were following CDC guidelines in April, and come November it was revealed they weren’t. If you can’t say that was went wrong (not following the CDC guidelines when you said you were) then why are you in charge?

Comment by Paul S Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 12:39 pm
This is typical of the JB admin agencies—unaccountable and unqualified. If the Director needs ideas-here’s one: resign.

Comment by Crossroads Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 12:57 pm
It is becoming increasing clear that the three Deputy Governors would have a very hard time organizing a two car funeral.

Comment by Back to the Future Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:28 pm
In general the time line on this has been incredibly fast, like outbreak and deaths to hearings in 6 or 7 weeks.

That timeline in of itself is incredibly impressive.

Things would be a lot easier for the Pritzker administration if the director did accept responsibility and resign, but the pace has been so quick maybe she’s not even able to identify where they specifically went wrong.

A resignation would be a career killer, but at some point the career in public service or elected office might be over regardless of whether or not she resigns.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:29 pm
Candy, the resignation or firing is mostly symbolic, though probably cathartic. IDVA needs massive structural and function reform. Along with IDES and probably DCFS. I’m less interested in the firing of figureheads, and more interested in someone that can get under the hood and fix the engine. And actually wants to.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:32 pm
My previous post went into quarantine, I guess… My suggestion was to split IDVA into separate functions; IDVA to handle housing, admin, and other benefits, but all the health care management given exclusively to U of I Med schools.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:35 pm
=== A resignation would be a career killer===

There are 33 deaths.

Your choice of words is…

=== I’m less interested in the firing of figureheads, and more interested in someone that can get under the hood and fix the engine. And actually wants to.===

Clearly the director isn’t up to the task, asking for ideas is a bad tell to that.

Chapa LaVia is still director as I type this

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:36 pm
I know a ton of info about this but I dare not say it here.

Like I’ve said before the govenor has people who can help but instead he is looking at IDPH who has how many respiratory protection experts?

Comment by The Dude Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 1:55 pm
This is where politics and running agencies intersect. Why do we put up with political appointees. These departments should only be career people.

Comment by Publius Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 2:02 pm
Chaos LaVia is likely a goner. The 3 Dep Governors responsible to oversee the agencies also are totally ineffective - and JB needs to see that and act to improve an increasingly worsening situation.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 2:08 pm
Dude: Please figure out whom to talk to about your concerns and possible solutions. Gotta be a way that helps, while protecting everybody concerned.

Comment by walker Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 2:24 pm
Publius, the last thing you want is for these high level positions to be civil service protected. The Governor needs to be free to act quickly and remove underperformers in a situation like this without any bureaucratic delays. Just because he has yet to act does not mean he should not have that ability in the future.

Comment by Original Rambler Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 2:56 pm
Director Chapa LaVia left the position that oversees all of the Veterans Homes (Senior Homes Administrator vacant for the last 13 months. That is a failure of her to have the right people in the job that could have been overseeing this. JB’s answer should’ve been a solid “no.”

Comment by Citizen Kane Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 3:10 pm
New song: “3 blind Deputy Governors…see how they fail, etc., etc.” What is it going to take JB to pull the plank out from under her?

Comment by thisjustinagain Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 3:30 pm
=== Deputy Governors===

The current Director of the IDVA is a political appointee, who by all *rights* should be in direct contact with her patron when over two dozen deaths have occurred.

This is on the Director of an agency who in a very flippant way was “open to suggestions” from legislators.

I have one. When multiple deaths are occurring, be the first one and the direct one talking to the governor about the situation.

Otherwise, why is the political appointee even there?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 3:35 pm
=== Chapa LaVia said she is ultimately responsible for the department, and referenced the ongoing investigation. “If there’s another idea, please bring it forward right now. These are the resources and tools I have to investigate my own department and to see what went wrong,” she said.===

The Director is soliciting advice… when an obvious thing is be in direct contact with the governor to give assistance.

It’s still murky when exactly who talked with whom when, and how that is going with the Director.

If the Director is taking responsibility…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 3:39 pm
@Oswego Willy -

Deputy Governors report to the Chief of Staff, not the Governor.

I believe it has been that way since Quinn, maybe Blagojevich.

I don’t know maybe George Ryan had multiple Depty Governor, I am not that old.

Comment by Ferris Wheeler Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 5:04 pm
- Ferris Wheeler -

Keep up.

This is a political appointee.

This is a political appointee that railed on Rauner and personally said the agency was prepared.

It’s about the personality, and if a political appointee can’t get the governor on the phone then they should step down on sheer incompetence to the patron.

K? Good.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 5:07 pm
=The deputy governors will make $278,000=

When you make that much money, and half of it comes personally from your boss’s pocket… are you in a position to serve the public or the person who’s paying you?

Total and utter lack of command leadership here. Boggles my mind that the Director didn’t go directly to the home. Leaders show up, leaders lead, leaders get things done.

Ms. LaVia did not one of those things. Nor did it seem that she picked up a the phone one morning and demanded to speak the Governor.

This situation is becoming more appalling everyday.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 7:32 pm