Illinois resolution seeks timeline of veterans home outbreak

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois legislative panel has advanced a resolution that demands a clear and detailed timeline of the events surrounding a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at the Quincy Veterans Home.

The outbreak claimed the lives of 12 residents in 2015 and another life last fall.

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee approved the resolution during a hearing Wednesday morning. It now goes to the full House, The State Journal-Register reported.

If approved, the resolution would give the Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah, Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Erica Jeffries and Gov. Bruce Rauner's office two weeks to a provide a comprehensive timeline of the events.

The resolution also calls for a proposal of solutions that would help prevent further outbreaks at the facility.

The resolution's sponsor, Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said the measure was partially due to issues with getting access to emails among the agencies and other documentation from the 2015 outbreak.

On Monday, the state reported two more cases of Legionnaires' disease, which is caused by bacteria in water vapor that's inhaled, at the Quincy facility. Both patients are recovering.

The Illinois Department of Human Services also reported on Wednesday that a patient at the state-run Chester Mental Health Center in southern Illinois tested positive for the disease. The patient is being treated.

IDHS said it's working with the Illinois Department of Public Health to find the potential source of the bacteria.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com