The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee continued its efforts to learn more about the Legionella outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. Lawmakers discussed the state’s response to the outbreak in a joint Senate/House of Representatives hearing on Feb. 7.
The Committee continued deliberating solutions and exploring alternatives in response to the Legionella issue. Proposals have ranged from building a new structure on the Veterans’ Home campus to making extensive water treatment improvements or completely replacing the facility’s plumbing.
The Committee heard testimony from Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah; Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries; Capital Development Board Acting Executive Director Amy Romano; Tom Buchheit, Managing Principal of BRiC Partnership, LLC Consulting Engineers; and Adams County Public Health Administrator Jerrod Welch.
Committee members continued to emphasize the safety and security of the veterans in the Quincy Veterans’ Home as their number one concern and repeated their desire to work with the Department of Public Health and the CDC on remediation efforts at the Home.