Durbin, Duckworth Urge VA Medical Centers In Illinois To Adhere To COVID-19 Protocols Following Outbreak At Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and former Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA), wrote to all Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) in Illinois to urge the facilities to continue to follow Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) COVID-19 guidance and protocol to ensure the health and safety of veterans and employees.

The letters, prompted by a recent COVID-19 outbreak at Jesse Brown VAMC, questioned the VAMCs about the notification process for potential outbreaks, vaccination rates at the facilities, oversight on implementation of COVID-19 protocols, and about testing infrastructure.

"We recognize the difficulty of combatting COVID-19 as it continues to evolve and more information is learned on how it infects and causes illness. We appreciate the great strides VAMCs have done to care for and vaccinate veterans and civilians during this pandemic. However, with the recent news of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, it remains critical that staff continue to follow COVID-19 precautionary measures for the health and safety of veterans under their care and themselves," wrote Durbin and Duckworth.

Recipients of the letters were Jesse Brown Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, VA Illiana Health Care System, Marion VA Medical Center, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, and Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISNs) 12 and 15.

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