Illinois Department of Veterans'
Affairs Announces All State Veteran’s Home Residents and Employees
Have Received COVID-19 Testing
Department has tested nearly 2,000
veterans and caretakers
Send a link to a friend
[May 22, 2020]
Building on Governor Pritzker’s efforts to
expand testing capacity statewide and the administration’s
commitment to timely, responsible, and transparent communication
about COVID-19, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA)
today provided updated test results for its long-term, skilled care
veteran’s homes in Anna, LaSalle, Manteno, and Quincy, Illinois.
|
Following guidance from the Illinois Department of
Public and Health and in order to safeguard Illinois’ military
heroes, every resident and employee at the veterans’ homes has been
tested for COVID-19. To date:
• Illinois Veterans’ Home at Anna: Full-facility testing revealed 5
positive residents and 0 positive staff, with a handful still
awaiting results.
• Illinois Veterans’ Home at LaSalle: A single resident tested
positive earlier in May. The resident has since tested negative and
subsequent testing revealed no additional positive residents and
zero positive staff.
• Illinois Veterans’ Home at Manteno: In total, 30 residents and 19
employees have tested positive at since April. All residents were
tested over the last few days; positive residents and all residents
they had direct contact with have been isolated. One of the
residents who tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away. All of
IDVA grieves for their loss. The resident had been on hospice since
2019 due to reasons other than COVID-19. IDVA cannot share any more
information about them due to privacy concerns.
• Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy: There are no known positive
residents or staff to date. As of this morning, 475 tests have come
back negative, with more residents and staff awaiting their results
and additional testing of staff and contractors ongoing.
[to top of second column] |
The health and wellbeing of Illinois’ veteran heroes
and the devoted staff who care for them is, and always will be, the
top priority of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. IDVA
homes are working with state and local health officials to follow
the latest medical guidance to combat the virus.
To safeguard military veterans and IDVA employees, IDVA veterans’
homes are performing health screenings of staff and residents,
maintaining social distancing practices, wearing face masks, using
gloves and gowns when indicated, and intensifying cleaning and
disinfection protocols. All residents are encouraged to stay in
their rooms and modified dining protocols have been put in place.
Team IDVA is highly vigilant for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and
ready to respond swiftly, appropriately, and professionally to any
potential cases.
About
The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides high quality,
skilled care at four veterans’ homes in Anna, LaSalle, Manteno, and
Quincy, Illinois, and housing and supportive services for homeless
veterans at the Prince home at Manteno. The department’s Veteran
Service Officers (VSOs) typically assists more than 1,000 veterans
per week in obtaining federal, local, and state veterans’ benefits.
Although physical offices are temporarily closed, VSOs are still
available remotely at emails and phone numbers in this list:
https:// www2.illinois.gov/ veterans/ Documents/FIELD%20PHONES.pdf
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |