As part of the response to Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the Quincy-based Illinois Veterans’ Home, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner recently announced plans to explore building a new facility on the Quincy campus.
On March 15, the Administration announced it is seeking a Master Planner to research possible development of a new state-of-the-art facility for the Quincy Veterans’ Home residents. This project would incorporate the final recommendations issued by the Infrastructure Task Force, which is to present final suggestions to the General Assembly by May 31.
The Administration said it is also looking to partner with Illinois’ US Senate and Congressional delegation to secure additional funding for the project. As such, the state will submit an application to the US Department of Veterans Affairs for a grant covering up to 65 percent of building costs for the new facility.
The state also announced plans to purchase a vacant nursing home facility close to the Quincy campus and intends to renovate the facility for temporary housing, creating a place to move residents in the event of future Legionella exposure. Similarly, the administration is exploring the use of modular buildings on the grounds, which could serve as temporary house solutions in the event residents need to be moved.
Steps continue to be taken to prevent future exposure to Legionella, including the re-sanitization of the HVAC system on campus, ongoing water testing, the installation of a monitoring system for disinfection levels and the installation of more than 750 new faucets with special micron filters across the campus.