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The Coronavirus outbreak at the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home claimed a 36th life earlier this week, though the spread within the home has been in control for weeks after infecting 90% of residents and killing more than a quarter of the facility’s population.
But during the deadliest days of the outbreak in November, some residents were not able to get basic toiletries like soap due to an antiquated policy that’s been changed in recent weeks. The old policy meant that residents at the facility would have to wait up to a week for new supplies once their shampoo, toothpaste or other personal care items ran out.
Just before the New Year last week, the home changed its policy after pressure from the local Veterans’ Assistance Commission, which had organized a toiletry drive in November during the height of the outbreak. But the group later found out that the personal care items that had been donated were not being distributed. The old policy predated Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, but local VAC Superintendent Steven Kreitzer says she should have stepped in to change it sooner — especially as the outbreak raged.
“God forbid a veteran soiled themselves and had to take him in to take showers,” Kreitzer said. “Those nurses couldn’t get into that supply closet because there’s no one there to open it. And if the veteran is out of shampoo or just had a little bit left, they had to utilize somebody else’s shampoo to make sure somebody is being taken care of.”
Kreitzer said that he and the VAC were told by nursing staff that they were personally buying toiletry items for veterans in order to get around the process. The old policy mandated that when a veteran ran out of a personal care item like toothpaste or shampoo, nursing staff would have to fill out a request form and send it to the facility’s social services division. That staff would then have to contact the veteran’s family to ask if they were willing to buy the resident what was needed. Only if the family was unable to do so would a resident be able to receive one of the donated toiletry items.
*** UPDATE *** Correction and clarification issued…
This story has been corrected and clarified. Veterans were unable to get immediate access to donated name-brand toiletries due to a process that has since been changed, but the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says residents never went without basic personal care supplies if they ran out. […]
“At no point during the pandemic or any other time has a veteran in one of our homes not had access to soap, toothpaste, or any other basic hygiene product,” Dooley said. “Those items are provided to all veterans in our homes, free of charge, on a regular basis, 24 hours a day. The donation process is used for specialty items that veterans request beyond the standard products they are provided.”
posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:03 pm
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Every day that Chapa is left on the job is a scandal. She should have been fired weeks ago.
Comment by SpiDem Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:07 pm
JB needs to get a much stronger handle on his cabinet. First IDES and now this unfolding.
Comment by DuPage Dad Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:09 pm
There truly isn’t a single reason to logic, honesty, leadership or trust that Chapa LaVia, as I type this, is still director of that agency.
Is this another situation where the Governor hadn’t heard from Chapa LaVia directly, or hasn’t heard from her in the recent?
Personnel is policy.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:10 pm
Governors Own. Why is Chapa LaVia still in charge? JB must fear the negative headlines?
Comment by Pawar Lost Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:16 pm
This is sick. Why would this policy be in place months into a pandemic? Actually, why would this policy ever have been in place?
Comment by Bruce( no not him) Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:19 pm
…who wrote and instilled this policy.
Public caning by veterans.
Comment by Find the person Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:33 pm
There is a complete lack of humanity to that policy, with or without COVID-19.
Comment by Leslie K Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:34 pm
What a read….. Someone’s head should roll over this. No excuse for this.
Comment by Redbird Pundit Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:36 pm
During a health crisis that we knew early on could be mitigated by simple hygiene like washing of hands, soap and water, nobody thought to review and rethink existing policy on distribution of those items? Or, worse, they did review it and didn’t think it needed changed?
In. Ex. Cusable.
Comment by fs Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:37 pm
Sounds like this is going to be a major campaign issue for Pritzker. With all the strong rhetoric surrounding Rauner’s Legionnaires issue, this is double damning.
Comment by Just Another Anon Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:43 pm
=== Sounds like this is going to be a major campaign issue for Pritzker.===
“When Pritzker criticized Rauner, it looks like it was just politics. Look how Chapa LaVia has done and is *still* director”
Personnel is policy.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:46 pm
This story was circulated a few weeks ago… not in the news because it was false. The lengths people will go to for partisan smearing. I’m noticing nobody asked the Home about it. Why only publish one side to the story? Especially when you’re publishing rumors…
Comment by Truth Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:49 pm
== …who wrote and instilled this policy.
Public caning by veterans.==
If they were in their first week, or maybe even first month, that might be an excuse. Policy decisions come from the Director and Governor’s office. They’ve been their two years. When this all started they had been their over year. Existing policy is their responsibility to review, amend, and implement as necessary, especially, especially in light of an emergency. This is an abject failure of leadership.
Comment by fs Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:52 pm
=== not in the news because it was false.===
Hannah isn’t “in the news”?
That’s new to me, and to Hannah I bet too
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:53 pm
Time for a new Director. This is ridiculous.
Comment by Just Me 2 Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 3:54 pm
Oswego Willy-
We get it,you want to punish this administration for 2015. Losing veterans is infuriating to all of us. The only thing worse is someone who jumps to conclusions without hearing the facts. Every time you jump to conclusions OW- you only prove what seems obvious- you have your own agenda. So sad.
Comment by Truth Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:02 pm
=== We get it,you want to punish this administration for 2015===
No.
Asking for consistently. You want utter hypocrisy.
===The only thing worse is someone who jumps to conclusions without hearing the facts.===
There aren’t deaths? There isn’t a lack of leadership? Huh. Tell that to the families that supported Pritzker when Pritzker and Chapa LaVia railed on Rauner, but let’s not hold accountable Pritzker and Chapa LaVia accountable, no…
That’s political hypocrisy.
=== you only prove what seems obvious- you have your own agenda===
… that I care for the Veterans, not the political points one gains in one instance, and the political cover wants for “our side”… that you seemingly are pushing.
=== So sad.===
You should hashtag that, then the families of the veterans list can read what political posturing is being done to stave off blame for Chapa LaVia.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:07 pm
- Truth -
Making it about me, as well…
… shows how little concern, it appears, to the victims.
I know that truth hurts, but lives have been lost. Your concern over “me” seems like an attempt to overshadow the tragedy here.
One might think that’s sad.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:10 pm
If there was a need for donation of these types of toiletries, I know for a fact that local VFW, Lions clubs, and Rotary clubs, would have stepped up and filled the need in a matter of a few days. Such a shame.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:12 pm
The common denominator in these veterans homes and IDES is the hollowing out of state government. So many agencies are understaffed, and the budget won’t allow any easy fixes in that area.
Maybe the Fair Tax messages should have made that point. But they didn’t and now Team Pritzker has fewer options.
Republicans are no use here. The party of no won’t help fix anything, won’t even show their hand until some hazy future day when they win power.
Democrats are in a real bind.
Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:22 pm
=== The common denominator in these veterans homes and IDES is the hollowing out of state government. So many agencies are understaffed, … ===
Yes, do try to spin this into a condemnation of voters and poor, overwhelmed managers with no time to root out foolish policies.
The common denominator in these veterans home horrors is executive neglect and the apologists’ hypocrisy. Quincy was a deadly scandal. This one is worse and has the body count to prove it.
Comment by Perplexed Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:39 pm
===I’m noticing nobody asked the Home about it.===
The IDVA hasn’t exactly done a good job making the communications on this. The article said the director hasn’t held a single press conference about this. The Home (IDVA) could come out and actually say something. So the question is, why haven’t they?
Comment by Loyalty Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:40 pm
Others have opined on this topic much better than I have, but I remain surprised that Director Chapa LaVia remains at IDVA.
I will generally call for adequate time to insure a thorough investigation before taking definitive action that cannot be reversed, or suspending someone pending the results of the investigation, but IDVA is at the point where there would need to be multiple investigations to figure out where the agency went wrong.
===The old policy mandated ===
Incidentally, the old policy sounds like it was pretty terrible. There’s a cost associated with a complete review of department policy and procedures that typically does not seem to be a budget priority in our state.
Comment by Candy Dogood Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:42 pm
What ever happened to personal responsibility? Maybe these old folks shouldn’t have aged and gotten sick? /s
But in reality, this kind of policy is the end result of decades of attacks on government. People can’t act because they have to go through a bureaucracy that ostensibly exists to provide transparency and accountability. Imagine what the good government goo goos would say if there wasn’t paperwork or a trail of records or procurement or bids?
Comment by Precinct Captain Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 4:49 pm
What on earth? That may be the dumbest policy I’ve ever heard of. Basic hygiene products should be provided as a matter of course.
Comment by JoanP Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 5:20 pm
What? How long has this been going on? It reminds me of our previous governor’s privately owned nursing homes.
Comment by DuPage Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 5:21 pm
The silence on twitter by Pritzker’s top level staff regarding this political is example 5,742 why if you work in government you should not be on social media.
Comment by Almost the weekend Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 5:26 pm
Too much soap for veterans is part of the waste fraud and abuse line item that was cut long ago
Comment by Ok Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 6:01 pm
Truth, the IDVA seems to be confirming this, how can it be false if their own spox is confirming it:
===IDVA spokeswoman Bridget Dooley said the issue has been resolved, and acknowledged the previous policy “was problematic and didn’t do what it was supposed to do.”===
Comment by Loyalty Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 6:06 pm
Unfortunately, from my experiences in gov’t, this policy does not surprise me. I’ve fought for years to implement what would normally be considered rational efficient changes in my agency and it’s most always meet by fervent disapproval and disdain. Hoping that will change for these veterans in our State’s care.
Comment by Annoyed Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 6:33 pm
There are a lot personal care products that aren’t specifically listed as those essentials.
Comment by Candy Dogood Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 8:08 pm
My experience of bureaucracy makes weird rules like the shampoo stash understandable in the abstract: paper pushing middle managers often create blanket arbitrary and unilateral “solutions” to temporary little problems and then these age in place while more pressing things get attention and before you know it, it has ossified and become some kind of stone tablet of policy that outlives multiple administrations. Long past the time it may have made sense.
Stuff like this makes me wonder if we can’t do better by decoupling the health care from the accounting and admin people because their doctoring and patient relations skills seem deficient
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 8:09 pm
To the clarification;
===Veterans were unable to get immediate access to donated name-brand toiletries due to a process that has since been changed, but…===
The wrong was corrected, I “didn’t know” toiletries had luxuries being denied, now that’s being corrected, and been corrected.
To continue;
===… the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says residents never went without basic personal care supplies if they ran out.===
Ok, they got the “generic” and that’s good to that.
I do have a question to this;
=== “At no point during the pandemic or any other time has a veteran in one of our homes not had access to soap, toothpaste, or any other basic hygiene product,” Dooley said.===
At no point of the pandemic, would the IDVA think the appropriate hand sanitizer, would that be a basic hygiene product or classified as a “brand name” issue?
Chapa LaVia requested the resignation of the director with fewer… deaths… and yet there Chapa LaVia remains, and we’re discussing and clarifying (checks notes) …
“basic personal care supplies“
… and we, I guess, can’t hold Chapa LaVia responsible when Chapa LaVia herself says… she’s responsible.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 8:56 pm
OW - we all get it, ok… you want to make something out of nothing. Sounds like a long term care facility needed to adjust how personal products are distributed during off hours. Don’t we all have more important things to talk about like making sure we save lives in the homes and throughout the state? I’m guessing that’s what the residents and families would think… or are you just one of those people that finds the worst motives in absolutely everything? Pretty sure we all know the answer from your hundreds of posts bashing this administration 24/7 on this blog.
Comment by Truth Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 9:10 pm
=== we all get it===
Speak for yourself. Try that.
=== you want to make something out of nothing===
You think 30+ deaths are nothing? Huh. Good to know.
Tell that to those families. Chapa LaVia requested the director resign with far less death, but…
=== Don’t we all have more important things to talk about like making sure we save lives in the homes and throughout the state? I’m guessing that’s what the residents and families would think…===
So did Chapa LaVia when Rauner and his director had far less death… and made a point that the director resigns.
Over 30 deaths… Chapa LaVia… still director…
=== Pretty sure we all know the answer from your hundreds of posts bashing this administration 24/7 on this blog.===
LOL
Yeah, ok… total hypocrisy to the IDVA…. this bashing the administration 24/7
Just last week someone asked when the administration was finally just going to hire me because of all the praise
Again….
Making it about me to deflect from the malpractice of Chapa LaVia who requested the resignation of a director due to deaths, and not holding her to the accountability is protecting a political appointee… as was the thought during Rauner
But you already know that.
Comment by Oswego Willy Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 9:17 pm
===you want to make something out of nothing===
Just wow.
Comment by Loyalty Saturday, Jan 9, 21 @ 9:34 pm