By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News
(CHICAGO) — The embattled director of the Illinois Department of Veteran’s Affairs is stepping down.
Erica Jeffries has been under a lot of criticism for the state’s bumbled response to a the Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Quincy Veteran’s home that has resulted in 13 deaths since 2015.
Media outlets report that an internal e-mail says Jeffries’ final day will be May 18 and that she was leaving for a job with Johnson and Johnson. Assistant director Harry Sawyer will head up the department on an interim basis.
The governor’s office confirms the departures saying in a statement that, “Director Jeffries has indicated to the governor that she is accepting an offer in the private sector. We thank her for her tremendous service to the State of Illinois and will be vetting appropriate successors in the coming weeks.”
Families of those killed by Legionnaires at Quincy have accused the state of being slow to react to the outbreak, administer medication as well as failure to maintain a healthy water system. Legionnaires is a water borne illness. Infection occurs after breathing mist that come from a water source contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
Jeffries has disputed that her agency acted negligently.
@ 2018 WLS-AM News
