HR0726 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0726 LRB100 16327 MST 31564 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Veterans of the United States Armed Forces have dedicated themselves to serving this country with honor and distinction; they deserve our deepest respect and gratitude, and the State of Illinois should therefore offer the highest level of care to veterans; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois operates four veterans' homes whose purpose is to provide quality long-term care, health services, and a supportive environment to veterans and their spouses; and

WHEREAS, Since August 2015, 13 residents of the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy have died from Legionnaires' disease, and at least 61 residents and staff have contracted the illness; and

WHEREAS, The first confirmed case of Legionnaires' disease was found at the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy on July 24, 2015; and

WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Director Erica Jeffries, the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy implemented procedures to control the outbreak on August 21, 2015; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 23, 2015 of five confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease; and

WHEREAS, A Veterans' Affairs spokesperson emailed Governor Rauner's office about the outbreak on August 24, 2015, and the staff had internal discussions over email about the outbreak; and

WHEREAS, Melvin Tucker, a decorated Army Air Corps veteran from World War II contracted a fever at the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy on August 21, 2015; he was given Tylenol, but as of August 27 had not been tested for Legionnaires' disease or given antibiotics, despite the eight confirmed cases of the disease; Tucker was finally tested and confirmed to have Legionnaires' disease, but passed away on August 31, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Gerald Kuhn, a former United States Army Sergeant and World War II veteran, also fell ill during that time period; he ran a fever and was given Tylenol; Kuhn was also not immediately tested for Legionnaires' disease; he was taken to the hospital three days later at his own request, after running a 104 degree fever; he passed away on August 31, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Dolores French, resident and wife of United States Army Korean War veteran Richard French Sr., was found dead in her room on August 29, 2015 from Legionnaires' disease; she had died several days earlier, but the staff was unaware of her death; when her son called on August 28 after reading the press release about the outbreak, they told him that she was doing well; and

WHEREAS, After 12 deaths and at least 39 confirmed illnesses in 2015, the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy had a second outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2016, which led to six more illnesses; and

WHEREAS, Another outbreak arose in the fall of 2017, during which three more residents became ill, one of whom died, raising the death total to 13 since 2015; and

WHEREAS, Eleven families are suing the State for negligence, and there have been calls for investigation into the actions of the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Governor's Office, as to whether they could have better handled the outbreak and treatment of the residents, and whether they should have publicized the outbreak earlier in order to afford families the best chance to help their loved ones; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that Governor Rauner's administration has not made this a top priority and 13 deaths over a two year period is unacceptable; we urge the Director of Public Health, the Director of Veterans' Affairs, and Governor Rauner's administration to provide a comprehensive report to the General Assembly two weeks after the adoption of this resolution that includes detailed timelines of what information each of these agencies knew, and when they knew it, with regard to the Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Illinois Veteran's Home at Quincy; this report should also include a detailed proposal on how to contain the spread of and end the outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease at this facility in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Governor Rauner's administration to immediately make this a top priority; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Governor Rauner, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.