SR1186 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1186 LRB100 16326 ALS 31452 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Quincy Veterans' Home, founded in 1886, is the largest and oldest of the Illinois Veteran Homes; and

WHEREAS, The Quincy Home has approximately 400 residents and employs over 500 full-time staff; and

WHEREAS, Legionnaires' disease is a severe, often lethal, form of pneumonia caused by a bacterium found in both potable and nonpotable water systems; and

WHEREAS, In July 2015, the first cases of Legionnaires' disease were discovered at the Quincy Veterans' Home and would shortly claim the lives of twelve residents; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, more than fifty residents and staff contracted Legionnaires' disease, leading to the death of another resident veteran; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control conducted a study of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans' Home in 2015 and had an extensive list of recommendations for the Home; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Quincy Veterans' Home followed the recommendations of the CDC and completed renovations of parts of its plumbing system, which included the construction of a water treatment plant capable of providing higher quality water; and

WHEREAS, In Fall 2017, an additional three residents contracted Legionnaires' disease after infrastructure updates were made; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Auditor General is directed to conduct a performance audit of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs' management of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this performance audit include, but not be limited to, the following determinations:

(1) The responses of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to the outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in 2015, 2016, and 2017, including the recommendations made in the 2015 study by the Centers for Disease Control and the Department's actions to address those recommendations;

(2) The type, cost, and timing of any infrastructure or other building improvements intended to contain the further spread of Legionnaires' disease or prevent its reoccurrence;

(3) The nature of changes made by the Department in operating protocols and staff training thereon, intended to contain the further spread of Legionnaires' disease or prevent its reoccurrence;

(4) The nature and extent of monitoring conducted by the Department to determine whether the improvements and protocols put in place are effective to ensure the safety of residents and staff at the Quincy Veterans' Home;

(5) The amount of State moneys received and the amount of state moneys expended by the Department or any other State agency during State fiscal years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 for infrastructure improvements, monitoring, and other measures taken to address the Legionnaires' disease outbreaks; and

(6) To the extent information is available, whether the Quincy Veterans' Home has been the subject of any reviews since 2015 to determine its compliance with applicable laws and regulations with regard to the care of its residents and, if so, the results of those reviews; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and any other State agency or other entity or person that may have information relevant to this audit cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's Office in its audit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as soon as practical and report its findings and recommendations upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Auditor General.