Kinzinger remains ‘deeply concerned’ about pandemic’s impact at Illinois veterans home

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), still worried about the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home in Illinois, deemed an investigation ordered by the governor to be lacking in several respects.

“After an alarming rise in confirmed cases and number of deaths, Gov. Pritzker has finally ordered the Inspector General to investigate the facility,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “While I support the governor’s call to investigate this matter, a report in four to six months will not help these veterans and their families now when they need it most.”

Rep. Kinzinger said that after learning about the outbreak in early November, his office scheduled briefings with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and subsequently received a readout on Nov. 13 detailing the VA’s site visit with the Illinois Department of Public Health. 

“The people of Illinois deserve action and answers. Why doesn’t the Pritzker administration have a team on the ground now? What is the governor going to do today to help my constituents at the LaSalle Veterans Home and their families? How did the Pritzker administration fail so egregiously to ensure our facilities were following the rules strictly so as to avoid the outcomes we saw in New York City and Seattle?” said Rep. Kinzinger on Monday. “The failures here are entirely unacceptable. And without question, our most vulnerable population deserves better than this.”

Rep. Kinzinger said he fully supports the governor’s investigation, but remains “deeply concerned” about the coronavirus outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home. “We need to secure these facilities and get to the bottom of this crisis immediately,” he said, adding that he and his staff “will continue to offer our support to the veterans in our community and will work with the VA to navigate this devastating crisis.”