UPDATED: 'A step toward bringing accountability to the deadliest outbreak at a state-run facility in Illinois state history'

The administrator of the Illinois Veterans Home at La Salle has been fired, and the chairman of the state House committee has opened an investigation into the a coronavirus outbreak that has killed a quarter of the residents.

The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs issued a press release announcing Angela Mehlbrech was terminated as administrator. Taking her place will be Acting Assistant Director Anthony Vaughn while a search begins for a permanent replacement.

The agency further stated the Director of Nursing at the home has been placed on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigation.

“Today’s action is a step toward bringing accountability to the deadliest outbreak at a state-run facility in Illinois state history," state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said in a statement. "While this is a step in the right direction, it does raise new questions.

"On what grounds was this person removed from their position? What does the Governor’s office know about their conduct that we don’t? The governor needs to be transparent about what information led to this decision.

“More importantly, we still haven’t gotten an answer about why it took 12 days for a site visit to take place that uncovered significant deficiencies leading to this devastating outbreak. That’s 12 days when ineffective hand sanitizer and PPE were in use, and ineffective infection control protocols weren’t corrected.

"We need answers to these critical questions.”

Earlier Monday, the House Republican Organization called out state Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) for 37 days’ silence on the veterans home. Yednock addressed the launch of hearings and the HRO comment in a statement, calling the deaths “a tragedy.”

“It is important that the Department of Veterans Affairs, Illinois Department of Public Health, and all other agencies involved conduct immediate, thorough investigations to see if there was a breakdown of protocol; or if they could have done anything differently to keep our vulnerable veterans safe from this horrible disease,” Yednock said.

“Nothing we do now will bring our veterans back, least of all, cheap and petty political attacks. Instead of playing politics, we owe it to our service members to be thorough in determining what mistakes were made and what could have prevented this tragic loss of life.

"The House Veterans Committee will hold hearings on the subject so we can try and understand what happened and protect other residents here and at other facilities. It is our job not to politicize this tragedy.”

Pritzker gave his own statement at a Monday press conference.

"As of this morning, 39 of 96 residents have had their most recent test for COVID come back (positive), along with 21 staff members," Pritzker said. "To date, we have, sadly, lost 32 residents at La Salle to COVID-19."

He addded later: "This is what happens when community spread is rampant," and, "We have grieved for far too many of these fatal outbreaks in these nursing homes in every corner of Illinois, not to mention every corner of the nation."

The announcements come swiftly on the heels of the opening of an independent investigation.

“I don't know what it is or who's responsible, but something is wrong,” said Rep. André Thapedi, chairman of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee in a phone interview. “And that's why I consider this to be a legal matter. What occurred — when you have 32 of our heroes dying in our care – that's clearly a legal matter. So, I want to use all of my skills and all other resources that I have as a legislator to try to get to the bottom of what happened.”

Thapedi, D-Chicago, said the committee is “taking steps to conduct a fact-based investigation and hearings” before the new Illinois General Assembly is sworn in on Jan. 13, according to Thapedi’s Dec. 1 letter.

Assistant IDVA Director Anthony Vaughn, a retired Marine, is to serve as interim administrator of La Salle Home.

Since the outbreak began on Nov. 1, the La Salle home has reported that 32 residents have died of COVID-19 related illnesses, according to the latest update from the IDVA on Dec. 5. As of midnight on Oct. 31, there were 128 residents at the home, according to an IDVA spokesperson.

Two separate on-site visits conducted at the La Salle home — the first by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Nov. 12, and the other by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Nov. 17 — made several recommendations, including replacing the less effective alcohol-free hand sanitizer with an alcohol-based sanitizer.

The U.S. VA report provides examples of staff violating personal protective equipment guidelines, including an instance where three staff members in the facility’s kitchen were seen with masks around their chins, eating, and all within less than six feet from each other.

That report also states that staff who eventually tested positive had attended a Halloween party.

Shaw Media had previously interviewed workers, on condition of anonymity, who complained of administrative problems including a limited volume of PPE. One worker is a longtime employee who said mismanagement is a driving force behind the surge of infections.

“Under this management, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,” she said. “It’s a disgrace.”

When IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia was asked about staff attending a Halloween party during a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last month, she said that statement could not be substantiated and the information was based on “word of mouth.”

The report from IDPH states that transmission among some staff “may have occurred due to reported laxity of masking and social distancing while off duty and also during break periods while on duty.” As a result, “Increased monitoring has been initiated.”

“Depending upon what documents and what information comes out of that first round, there may be some other entities or people or organizations that have relevant information that we can obtain, all with the goal of finding out what happened. So, it's a process,” Thapedi said.

The investigation by the House committee is separate from an independent investigation by the acting inspector general from the Illinois Department of Human Services, which Chapa LaVia announced last week.

Thapedi said the civil judiciary committee’s investigation is also not in coordination with Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, chairwoman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, who has called for an in-person committee meeting set for Dec. 15.

Unlike the Senate, the House failed to pass a measure during its brief session in May that would have allowed for virtual committee hearings.

— Shaw Media's Tom Collins contributed to this report.