In their joint call for Dr. Shah’s resignation, Mr. Durbin and Ms. Duckworth cited a WBEZ report that claimed Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration failed to properly repair a water system at the veterans’ home and then deliberately withheld the information from the public. While Dr. Shah acknowledged the health risks associated with the water system and noted the violations warranted a citation, he did not issue one, according to newly released documents cited by the senators.
The Illinois VA facility experienced three separate outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease between 2015 and 2017, causing 64 infections and 13 deaths. In February, the facility confirmed four additional cases.
Legionnaires’ is a virulent form of pneumonia contracted through the inhalation of water carrying Legionella. In January, the CDC issued a report on the Quincy VA facility’s water system. The agency said Legionella bacteria may never be fully eradicated from the facility’s water system and warned additional Legionnaires’ cases could be inevitable.
“There was definitive evidence that a serious public health crisis was underway at the veterans’ home in Quincy in 2015, and the Rauner administration and Director Shah chose to sit on their hands as veterans and staff at the home fell victim to these deadly bacteria,” Mr. Durbin and Ms. Duckworth said in a press release, adding that Mr. Rauner and his team prioritized public relations over the veterans’ safety.
“Director Shah’s response to this tragedy reflects the height of irresponsibility and negligence, and it’s time for him to go,” they said.
The Illinois attorney general’s office launched a criminal probe in October to investigate the administration’s response to the outbreaks.
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