Macon Reporter

Lawmakers are fed up with the lack of investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home that claimed 36 lives last fall. 

The outbreak strikes a special chord for legislators who are veterans themselves, including state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), who joined a May 18 press conference calling on the governor's office to launch an investigation into the mismanagement of the outbreak. 

"The lives lost in our veterans homes affect me not only as a citizen, but as a fellow veteran. I served over 22 years in the military," Caulkins said. "[...] The first responsibility of a leader is to protect those under his command. The most important hire is to put qualified people in place to make sure that your soldiers are properly cared for."

Republicans have been asking for a meeting to discuss the outbreak since last year. Caulkins challenged Pritzker to be a real leader who "takes responsibility and shares lessons learned with his community."

"At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak at the Illinois veterans’ homes, all we have heard from the Pritzker administration is excuse after excuse and zero action to protect the lives of those who served our country," Caulkins said.

Pritzker has been under fire as many believe his team to be responsible for the tragedy. The Veterans Services director that oversaw the home at the time of the outbreak, Linda Chapa Via, has since stepped down. 

As someone who spent 30 years in the long-term care industry, Caulkins is appalled at how the outbreak was handled. 

"I don’t know how those involved can sleep at night knowing their lack of action caused dozens of people to die," he continued. "And now the failure to acknowledge the true problems could lead to more deaths in the future. I know firsthand the resources and the power that the state of Illinois has in this area and I guarantee you the state can and does get involved immediately in a facility where they have these kinds of issues."