West Central Reporter

Rep. Randy Frese (R-Quincy) was angered by the LaSalle Veterans' Home report that was released by the IDHS inspector general.

He joined the rest of the House Republicans in a news conference demanding accountability on the heartbreaking COVID-19 deaths at the state-run facility.

“I'd like to point out that although I'm not a veteran, part of what drives me is my brother Michael Albert Frese was killed in action in Vietnam, a member of the United States Army,” Frese said. “So that’s a very strong motivating factor why I stand here and serve on the Veterans Committee and stand here and demand answers to these questions.”

Thanking all members of the committee for conducting hearings on the outbreak at the facility, he called the report “enlightening and long overdue.” He then agreed how the report described the mismanagement of the event which he hopes would no longer occur in the future.

“It's clear that the IDHS inspector general is absolutely right in calling the LaSalle Veterans' Home management response to the COVID outbreak as inefficient, reactive, and chaotic,” Frese concurred. “They deserve better. As a result, 36 families who entrusted their loved ones into the state care are grieving. We cannot bring back those we have lost but we can and we must make sure this type of tragedy never happens again at our veterans’ home facility in the state of Illinois.”

The former Adams County Circuit Clerk reiterated that the matter is not a partisan political issue as “demonstrated in last week's hearing,” he said but stressed that accountability is needed for what had transpired.

“We need Gov. Pritzker to say the buck stops here,” he said. “We need him to work with us to reform the leadership structure that governs our veterans' homes and how to make sure that clear preventive policies are in place for all of our veterans' homes. In short, we must have a good plan. … the governor and the IDVA must take seriously our solemn responsibility to meet and exceed state standards for care at every veterans' home under the jurisdiction of the state of Illinois.”

The report revealed that the 36 deaths could have been avoided.