North Cook News

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) was among many Republican lawmakers who demanded immediate accountability after the report on the COVID-19 outbreak at LaSalle Veterans' Home by the Illinois Department of Human Services Inspector General was released.

Mazzochi listed numerous lapses made by the director and staff in handling the outbreak.

"The report details in excruciating instances where staff did not comply with even rudimentary protocols such as making sure you weren't wearing the same dirty pair of gloves when you went from one patient to another."

Mazzochi, who once practiced civil law, called out then-Veteran Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia for dereliction of duty.

"The report says that the director essentially abdicated her day-to-day responsibilities to her staff director who had no medical experience"

Mazzochi also took aim at Gov. Pritzker for failing to exercise sound control of the outbreak.

"That is squarely on the Governor and his choices in his lack of leadership," Mazzochi said. “An executive failure and neglect has led to the deaths of veterans.”

Mazzochi was interested to know where the Attorney General is “when it comes to making sure that this type of thing never happens again.”

Pritzker said he hired Chapa LaVia because she spearheaded the investigation into the Quincy Veterans Home Legionnaires outbreak a few years back, and to him LaVia seemed to be someone who has the capability to root out the problems in the facility. “But I have to admit, if I knew then what I know now I would not have hired her,” the governor said in a news conference, ABC7 Eyewitness News reported.

At least five families of the veterans plan to file a suit against authorities according to ABC7 Eyewitness News.