Governor’s top staff address the coronavirus outbreak at the veterans’ home in La Salle

Posted on May 14, 2021
Deputy Gov. Sol Flores. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers looking into the 36 coronavirus deaths at the La Salle veterans’ home are still making hay out of a blistering report from an inspector general. And Thursday they got as close as they will get to quiz Gov. JB Pritzker, who sent the interim veterans’ affairs director, the public health director, and Deputy Gov. Sol Flores to face the music.

“The last committee hearing that I was at that (then-veterans affairs director Linda) Chapa LaVia was at as well, she gave herself a grade of A for handling the outbreak,” State Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) said. “I would really be curious, knowing everything that we know now: what grade would you give to the governor’s office’s response to this outbreak?”

“Understanding the tragedy that has happened at La Salle, I would give our handling– the management of the La Salle home an F,” responded Flores.

Throughout the four hours, nobody from the administration dared assign themselves a letter grade.

Among those no longer employed by the state are Chapa LaVia, her chief of staff, and the La Salle home administrator. The department has been without a senior home administrator for a couple of years, a big component of the holes the investigation found and that the lawmakers exploited.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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