State health chief turns over records for DuPage abuse probe

A judge vacated an order compelling the state’s public health director to appear in court after his office reversed course and turned over documents related to an ongoing probe of potential elder abuse at DuPage County nursing homes, officials said Thursday.

Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, previously was ordered to appear before DuPage Judge Kathryn Creswell to explain why she shouldn’t find him in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas. At the time, his office said federal regulations limited what it could disclose.

“In working with the Illinois Attorney General, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Illinois Department of Public Health was able to resolve the matter so that certain records could be made available through the appropriate legal mechanisms, while still complying with the applicable federal regulations,” Hasbrouck’s office said in a statement Thursday.

Last month, prosecutors said the IDPH had been essentially unresponsive to subpoenas issued as part of a grand jury investigation into possible elder abuse at three unnamed nursing facilities. Had he been held in contempt, Hasbrouck, who took office in May, could have faced penalties ranging from a fine to jail time.

Prosecutors confirmed the IDPH turned over the records but declined to comment or disclose further details of the investigation.