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Surviving War, But Not The Veterans’ Home

WBEZ investigates mismanagement and cover-up by the state of Illinois in the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak tied to 14 deaths at the state’s largest veterans’ since 2015

WBEZ produced more than 40 enterprise-driven stories in 2018 about the cover-up and mismanagement by the state of Illinois of recurring Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks tied to 14 deaths at the state’s largest veterans’ home since 2015.

At its core, this yearlong investigation has been a story of how decorated military veterans who could survive the awful rigors of war couldn’t endure an unseen bacteria lurking in their room sink faucets, showerheads or whirlpool jets. WBEZ’s exclusive reporting, fueled by hundreds of thousands of state documents obtained through open-records requests, led to changes in state law, plans for a new facility and the launch of a criminal probe. It also shaped Illinois’ 2018 political campaigns by contributing to the defeat of the state’s one-term governor, who presided over the outbreaks.

The 2017 stories listed at the end are considered a supplement to the submission.


Relatives of Illinois Veterans Home residents who died of Legionnaires’ disease gather in Quincy to talk about what’s changed for them since their allegations of neglect went public. In the back row, from left to right, are Paul Harrison, Barb Harrison, Diane McHatton, Tim Miller, Steve French, and Dennis Miller. In front, from left to right, are Barb Kiefer, Cindy Cassens, Jana Casper, and Brenda Sprague
Politics
Before Debate, Quincy Legionnaires’ Families Gather To Reflect
Five families deeply impacted by the August 2015 Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Quincy veterans’ home came together Tuesday evening, nearly a year after some of their stories were first told as part of a WBEZ investigation. This marked the first time they’d met one another despite seeing their loved ones suffer similarly hellish and avoidable deaths at Illinois’ largest state-run veterans’ home. In a restaurant just a few blocks from the home, there were hugs, handshakes, a few tears and palpable, almost universal anger at Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, whose administration oversaw the veterans’ home during outbreaks in 2015, 2016, and 2017. There was another spate of cases again this year. In all, the deaths of 14 elderly residents at the facility have been linked to Legionnaires’, and nearly 70 residents and staff have been sickened since 2015.
By Dave McKinney  and Tony Arnold
 
A collage of some of the emails obtained from the Adams County Health Department
Read Some Of The Legionnaires’ Emails Rauner Is Fighting To Keep Secret
WBEZ obtained 1,400 emails between state and public health officials. Some discuss how to spin a deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak.
By Dave McKinney  and Tony Arnold
 
The Illinois Veterans Home in downstate Quincy provides care for nearly 400 veterans and a final resting place for those who served in the nation's armed forces, dating back to the Civil War. Between August 2015 and last October, bacteria-tainted water has sickened 61 residents and staff with Legionnaires' disease, causing 13 deaths. (Andrew Gill/WBEZ)
3 Years, 13 Legionnaires’ Deaths At Illinois Veterans’ Home
Since July 2015, 13 residents of a veterans’ home in west central Illinois have died from Legionnaires’ disease. Eleven families are suing the state for negligence.
By Dave McKinney  and Tony Arnold
 
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