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A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Dolores French had been a resident of the Illinois Veterans Home for six weeks when she was found dead in her independent-living unit on Aug. 29, 2015. She was one of 13 elderly residents at the facility to die from Legionnaires’ since that first outbreak. […]
Last December, WBEZ reported French may have laid dead in her room for two days before anyone found her.
State officials have ruled out that possibility categorically.
“What we know to be sure, she was not dead in her room for two days with nobody knowing about it,” then-state Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries told reporters after a January legislative hearing into the outbreaks.
But in his first interview about French’s case, the local coroner who delivered the sobering news to Steve French about his mother’s condition has a very different take. He tells WBEZ that she could have been dead between 36 and 48 hours before she was found.
And newly obtained health documents related to her case demonstrate a litany of questionable procedural and record-keeping practices at Illinois’ largest state-run veterans’ home, which takes in residents from across the state, including the Chicago area.
As always, go read the whole thing.
…Adding… DGA…
“Once again, Bruce Rauner’s administration proved they’re more interested in dodging blame than accepting responsibility for their mismanagement at the Quincy Veterans’ Home,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “In their enduring quest to avoid admitting fault, Rauner’s administration will not even give one family the dignity of telling the truth about their loss.”
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:09 pm
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“She was not dead in her room for two days with nobody knowing about it.” This leaves the possibility then, that someone did know about it, and did nothing.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:12 pm
First of all, McKinney needs to be shortlisted for a Pulitzer for his reporting on Quincy. Amazing work.
Second of all, the depths negligence and attempts to hide the truth are absolutely astounding.
Comment by Montrose Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:13 pm
“She did not die the same day that she was found. That would be my opinion just due to … the state of decomposition.”
The many reasons why state officials might lie about this horror are self-evident.
Can anyone offer any plausible reason why the Adams County Coroner would ever lie about it?
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:16 pm
– “What we know to be sure, she was not dead in her room for two days with nobody knowing about it,” –
So the alternative interpretation is she was in fact deceased in her room for two days and somebody knew about it.
Comment by Leigh John-Ella Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:19 pm
–Meanwhile, shortly after Dolores French was found in her unit on Aug. 29, a nursing supervisor at the facility made an entry into French’s electronic medical log.
The entry related how a nurse opened French’s room at about 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, the day before French was found dead, because another resident had grown concerned about not seeing her.
The nurse “did not witness Dolores in her room. Reports room was tidy, bed was made and no concerns noticed,” the supervisor wrote.–
So right after she’s found dead in a state of advanced decomposition, a supervisor decides to record that she was checked on the day before and claim she wasn’t even there.
That strikes me as smoking-gun coverup.
Is there not going to be a criminal investigation here?
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:22 pm
Pretty close to time for someone to be held accountable for this fiasco. Are we to believe a patient can go missing for over a day and no one checks on them? This has cover up written all over it.
Comment by Retired Educator Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:39 pm
So … ok.
This is awful. Awful.
Imagine if this would have happened under Quinn’s watch. Rauner would be rabid. Absolutely rabid.
Under Rauner’s watch?
*crickets*
Thank goodness for the superb reporting.
Comment by Mr. K. Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:42 pm
I have one question — how long had she been sick? She must have been terribly, terribly ill for several days before she died. No one noticed she wasn’t around for the better part of a week?
Comment by Soccermom Monday, May 21, 18 @ 2:50 pm
“So the alternative interpretation is she was in fact deceased in her room for two days and somebody knew about it. ”
Or she was found elsewhere and dumped in her room.
I hate bringing that up, but with these folks, it’s a possibility.
Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, May 21, 18 @ 3:47 pm
The Rauner superstars have discovered that she had a rare condition where decomposition is accelerated.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 21, 18 @ 3:52 pm
Whatever the physical plant issues were/are, it seems clear that poor management at both the local and higher levels contributed to the number of deaths. I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of money on the buildings or put up new ones until I was satisfied those issues had been fully rectified.
Comment by Earnest Monday, May 21, 18 @ 3:56 pm
We had a known outbreak of a fatal pathogen, and we didn’t bother to check on the well-being of all residents.
Where was Rauner? Was he in communication with his directors?
Comment by Juvenal Monday, May 21, 18 @ 4:43 pm
Where is a DA or State’s Attorney when you need one?
Comment by Huh? Monday, May 21, 18 @ 5:10 pm
Maybe the VA Home is short staffed, and was so busy taking care of the other sick vets. that they missed one???
Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 21, 18 @ 6:06 pm
“We had a known outbreak of a fatal pathogen, and we didn’t bother to check on the well-being of all residents.”
The staff was not told of the ‘fatal pathogen’ that was making vets sick for days.
Comment by Mama Monday, May 21, 18 @ 6:09 pm
–I have one question — how long had she been sick? She must have been terribly, terribly ill for several days before she died. No one noticed she wasn’t around for the better part of a week?–
–”So the alternative interpretation is she was in fact deceased in her room for two days and somebody knew about it. ”
Or she was found elsewhere and dumped in her room. –
There are no reasonable, good answers to those questions.
We need to step up and demand answers and justice.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 21, 18 @ 7:46 pm
Word: that would require what Rauner and Co. has proven consistently; they lie, cheat, obfuscate, chuckle, distract- rinse and repeat
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 22, 18 @ 8:29 am