Will County Gazette

The passing of 36 heroes during the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Homes should have not transpired, state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said.

She made these remarks during a press conference that she and other Republican lawmakers organized outside the homecare facility. Rezin introduced Senate Bill 1445 which she said would help prevent the unfortunate event from happening again in the future.

“We would like to honor the veterans who are watching us from their rooms,” Rezin said before she started her speech. "The tragedy that happened in the building behind me never should have happened."

Determined to provide justice and identify those who should be held accountable for the tragedy, Rezin had questioned the Office of the Inspector General’s report on the LaSalle outbreak and questioned Peter Neumer of the Illinois Department of Public Health, during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing.

“Do you believe that if these recommendations had been in place, such as a timeline for an immediate onsite visit, that we would have slowed the spread of COVID throughout the entire LaSalle Veterans' Home?” she asked Neumer. “In your report, you mentioned the governor and the governor's office 13 times. Only two that we have found seem to be substantive pieces of information … can you speak to why there are so few mentions between all of the departments that should have been coordinating throughout this outbreak?”

Though Neumer told Rezin that her question was challenging, he said that the outcome could have been better if measures had been in place. He also explained that the investigation concentrated on the operation of the facility itself.  

“There’s still time for us to help ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” Rezin said, making the case for new measures. “These bills would address many of the issues that were identified in this inspector general's report and also would fill in the blanks that are not covered in the report.”

Rezin said that SB1445 "would require outbreak drills to ensure that the facility and staff are prepared to know what to do when an outbreak does occur. No longer will they have to say nobody seemed to know what to do."

She also filed SB2252 “which would require the auditor general to conduct a truly independent investigation.”