AURORA, Ill. – In response to emails from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s former deputy chief of staff Darlene Senger suggesting the administration shift blame for 13 deaths at the Quincy Veterans’ Home to Sen. Tammy Duckworth, USMC Veteran state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Aurora, and US Army Veteran state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, released the following statement:

“Like all who have served in the armed forces, we know that true leadership means taking responsibility. This is a lesson Governor Rauner and Darlene Senger clearly have not learned. We are disappointed, but not surprised, that one of Bruce Rauner’s advisors actively discussed placing the blame for the crisis at the Quincy Veterans’ Home on Senator Tammy Duckworth, a war hero who has sacrificed more for her country than Governor Rauner could imagine.

“The crisis at the Quincy Veterans’ Home has revealed that Rauner and his people are busier finding ways to evade responsibility and find scapegoats than taking responsibility and finding solutions. We do not accept the governor’s attempt to blame others or evade legislative inquiries.

“We hope in the coming weeks and months the governor will begin to take responsibility for the crisis that occurred under his watch.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois’ veterans’ homes would be required to fully inform family members and the public of disease outbreaks threatening our military heroes under legislation being advanced by state Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, correcting the glaring shortcomings of the Rauner administration’s response to the Legionnaire’s disease outbreak that killed 13 veterans in Quincy. Halpin’s bill received bipartisan support in the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

“Proper notification of outbreaks affords families the best chance to help their loved ones before they fall fatally ill,” Halpin said. “Under this legislation, visiting family members will be alerted to look out for symptoms of disease and take appropriate precautions, such as confirming with staff that a resident has been tested.”

Halpin is a chief sponsor of House Bill 4278, which requires Illinois’ veterans’ homes to notify residents and their emergency contacts or next of kin within 24 hours of learning of an outbreak of an infectious disease. An outbreak is defined as when two or more residents are diagnosed with an infectious disease within a month. At a joint House and Senate hearing earlier this year, under clarifying questions from Halpin, Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries confirmed that the Quincy Veterans’ Home notified only staff—not residents or their family members—of 46 confirmed cases of Legionnaire’s disease in 2015.

“The Rauner administration admits that there were clear discrepancies between when the Departments of Public Health and Veterans’ Affairs knew an epidemic was occurring and when veterans’ family members were notified,” Halpin said. “This is unacceptable. This legislation ensures that families have up-to-date information about risks to their loved ones’ health.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – During a recent meeting with the Crain’s Chicago Business Editorial Board, Gov. Bruce Rauner, when questioned about his administration’s response to the legionella outbreaks at the state-run Quincy Veterans’ home which resulted in the deaths of 13 veterans and 61 infections, said he would not have done anything differently. State Reps. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, and Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, call on the governor to take responsibility.

“The fact that the governor has the audacity to claim his administration responded ‘exceptionally well’ and ‘would not do anything different’ to protect our Veterans shows his complete lack of leadership and responsibility. Under his watch, 13 Veterans have died and his remarks are disrespectful to their families.  One glaring case of mismanagement we have uncovered in the testimonials is that the residents, their families and even the staff were purposely not informed of the severity of the outbreak,” Kifowit said. “Frankly, I am disgusted by his lack of humility and compassion for my fellow Veterans who served our country. They served us and it is his duty to serve them. He has failed miserably doing so.”

“I am deeply troubled by the governor’s inability to admit wrong doing when 13 veterans died under his watch. It goes to show he is unfit to lead and has no intention of taking care of those who fought for our country,” Chapa LaVia said. “Our veterans deserve the best care we can possibly give them and they certainly deserve a governor who will fight for them.”

“It is vital to know all the details in regards to this tragic situation, and we call on the Governor and his Directors to release the information. The public has a right to know,” stated Kifowit and Chapa LaVia.

Both representatives have been involved in the Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s investigation of the Quincy Veterans Home.

AURORA, Ill. – Following a state hearing looking into the deaths that occurred at the state-run Quincy Veterans Home, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, has sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to release the documents and e-mail communications between the facility and state agencies.

“Our hearings have revealed many troubling facts about the handling of the outbreaks by Gov. Rauner’s administration,” Kifowit said. “It is extremely alarming that although the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and CDC were well aware of the situation, they failed to notify residents and staff of the dangers that existed.”

A report published by WBEZ revealed that between 2015 and 2017, 3 separate outbreaks of Legionaries disease resulted in 13 deaths and another 61 infections at state-run Veterans’ home located in Quincy. Within the last month, the House and Senate have held joint Veterans’ Affairs hearings investigating the Rauner administration’s handling and response to the situation. The second hearing held on Feb. 7 furthered revealed the administration failed to inform the facility’s staff of the outbreak, leaving them to find out through media reports and Facebook.

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act stipulates that all government documents and policies are public records and are open to inspection, copying and publication.

“As chair of the Government Transparency Committee and a Veteran myself, it is my priority to get to the bottom of what happened at Quincy to make sure it never happens again,” Kifowit said. “I hope the governor and his administration will comply with the FOIA request and release their e-mails and documents so we can bring justice to our Veterans who we lost there and finally learn exactly what happened. If they continue to refuse, I will seek legislative action to compel them to comply.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –As a member of the Illinois House Veterans Affairs’ Committee, state Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, heard alarming testimony from employees of the Illinois Quincy Veterans’ Home about how they were made aware of the outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease that claimed the lives of 13 veterans or their spouses.

“The situation in Quincy could have been prevented, that much is known, and today’s hearing makes it evident that important information and communication on the outbreak is being kept under wraps by the Rauner administration,” Halpin said. “The administration previously claimed it held a ‘town hall’ on the issue, but later admitted residents were not invited to attend, and the meeting was limited to just staff. Now we’ve been told by the employees that they actually learned about the outbreak beforehand from news reports and social media, with town halls set up after the fact.”

Legislators from both chambers heard testimony today from employees at the home and a detailed timeline of events from their perspective. In a statement, the employees told legislators that they found out about the all three of the outbreaks from news media reports and social media, not from anyone in the governor’s administration, which is responsible for the management of the home.

“Given the alarming testimony by the employees, I think it’s critical that the administration publicly release any emails corresponding to what they knew and when they knew about the outbreak,” Halpin said. “That information is paramount to helping prevent a situation like this from ever occurring again, and will help us in the legislature to determine better way to protect our veterans.”

CHICAGO, Ill. –As a member of the Illinois House Veterans Affairs’ Committee, state Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, questioned the Rauner administration about the 13 veterans who have died at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy as the result of a Legionnaire’s disease outbreak and how it could have been avoided.

“What happened in Quincy was completely unacceptable, and at Tuesday’s hearing that was made very clear,” said Halpin. “Governor Rauner and his administration failed these veterans and their spouses by their inaction and delay in responding to this crisis.”

The joint Senate and House hearing allowed legislators from both chambers to question representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on what happened at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, and included a detailed timeline of events.

Halpin took specific issue with the IDVA’s decision to wait six days before informing residents and their families of the outbreak and the vulnerability of the residents to the disease, which denied them the ability to make informed decisions.

“It is evident there should have been an immediate release of information, if not to the general public, then at least full disclosure to the residents and their families,” Halpin said. “I remain committed to finding answers for the veterans who succumbed to this illness and to their loved ones and to ensuring that we never face a situation like this again, where delayed reaction and a lack of transparency turns into a preventable tragedy.”

AURORA, Ill. – State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, participated in a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee on Thursday as part of the legislature’s investigation into the deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak, which resulted in the deaths of 13 veterans and infected over 50 individuals working or residing at the state-run Quincy home.

“Despite today’s hearing, there are still many unanswered questions as to how and why over a dozen of our veterans died and what policies and protocols have been changed to ensure better care considering the admission by the administration that the home lacked written standard operating and water flushing protocols.” Kifowit said. “It is unacceptable that those under the state’s care in the Quincy home and their families were not immediately notified as soon as the outbreak was discovered, six days before the public, so that they could make the best decisions for their loved ones.”

A recent investigative report by WBEZ found that three separate outbreaks occurred at the Quincy Illinois Veterans’ Home between July of 2015 and the fall of 2017, with over 13 veterans dying and another 61 infections. Although the location received more than $6 million from taxpayers to update the home’s water supply and safety standards, the home continued to face outbreaks.

Immediately following the testimony, Kifowit introduced legislation to mandate prompt notification to residents, their families, and the relevant agencies in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease in a Veterans’ Home.

“As a former Marine, I have seen and experienced first-hand the sacrifices the men and women of our military make for our country,” said Kifowit. “Policies and protocol must be updated to ensure that not one more veteran is lost on our watch.  I look forward to working with my fellow colleagues to ensure proper response in the future.”