Tim Noonan Archives - Missourinet

Missouri Veteran’s Commission releases detailed report on deadly COVID-19 outbreak in 7 veterans homes

December 31, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

The oversight commission of the Missouri Veterans Commission released the remaining details of an investigation into a deadly COVID-19 outbreak in its seven nursing homes today. To date, 158 veterans have died since September.

FULL REPORT

The Missouri Attorney General directed Chairman Tim Noonan to release the report, against Noonan’s objections. Noonan’s Letter to the attorney general argues that the detailed report was protected under attorney-client privilege.

State Senator Jill Schupp argued in public that the 415-page document should be released under the Sunshine Law. Noonan and other commissioners were concerned about the legal liability of staff, commissioners, and the agency itself.

“Are we creating a record that puts employees at risk, are we creating a potential roadmap for litigation against the state? These are all prudent business decisions that one makes when they have responsibility as the chair of a commission,” Noonan said in an interview with Missourinet just before the release of the report. Letters released by the Attorney General’s office to Missourinet show Noonan sought legal advice from the governor’s office as early as November 23.

He got a response from the attorney general yesterday: Attorney General’s opinion letter addressed the disclosure of information.

Noonan said the full report reveals there is “a lot of accountability and responsibility up and down the chain of command here,” including daily governance.

“The summary report was thorough, it was robust, it was fact-based and it was actionable. There was nothing inside the detailed report that stands in the way of driving the reforms and transformation that are already underway.

“There is no smoking gun in the report. It was systemic, it had issues to do with communication and hierarchy, it had to do with data analysis that was happening in the Missouri Veterans Commission but also happening in the “fusion cell” — data that was presented by the Veterans Commission to the fusion cell that was supposed to be analyzed and made into actionable intelligence, the fusion cell missed it along with the Veterans Commission.”

The “Fusion Cell,” according to the summary report, is the state’s collective response to the COVID-19 and “is meant to be a single point of information for all Missouri agencies.” It also included the consultation of the McChrystal Group, outside advisors hired by the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Missouri Veterans Commissioner says chairman’s actions raise transparency concerns

December 31, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

In October, Gov. Mike Parson called on the Missouri Veterans Commission to launch an independent, external investigation about a deadly COVID-19 outbreak within Missouri’s veterans homes. The virus has so far claimed the lives of at least 158 residents in the seven state-operated nursing homes for veterans.

Missouri Veterans Commission Chairman Tim Noonan

Armstrong Teasdale law firm won the bid to review the COVID-19 safety measures and make recommendations. The firm released a blistering report saying a “failure of leadership”, “failure to recognize the outbreak”, and the “lack of a comprehensive outbreak plan” were major reasons the outbreak happened.

The contract with the firm included a 415-page full report and a 53-page summary. The price tag of the investigation was $350,000 of taxpayer money.

State Senator Jill Schupp, who is a member of the commission, tells Missourinet Chairman Tim Noonan received the report on November 17. The commissioners were given it on November 30. She says Noonan let the commissioners view the full report for about three days before she says she was stripped of access. Chairman Noonan says she was able to review but not share the entire 415-page report because of security and privacy protections. Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, is calling on Noonan to release the full report.

“The report will have information in it that may be very important to understanding how we move forward and protect the health and well-being of our veterans and of our staff, how we make sure that we lessen the exposure, and make sure everybody comes out safely on the other side of this. That’s what this report was supposed to help us understand. Not having access to it, not being able to see it and utilize the information in it handicaps us,” says Schupp. “We have an obligation to take care of our veterans and to make sure they are healthy and to do everything we can to make sure that our staff who is taking care of them directly is healthy. That’s what these reports were supposed to be about. If no one can see them, we can’t act upon them.”

Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur

She says any personal information could be removed.

“This is an unprecedented situation was for us. We want to make sure we are doing everything as well as possible to care for our veterans. Armstrong Teasdale was hired as investigators to help us figure that out. The chairman is saying it is not necessary that the report be put forward. I can’t rationalize it,” says Schupp. “It is the law. It is about transparency. It is about putting the veterans first. That’s what we need to be doing. Whatever information we need to gather, discern, and learn from, that is what we need to be working on.”

During a virtual presentation this month about the investigation’s findings, Schupp says all the commissioners had their computer microphones muted, except for Noonan.

“We didn’t know until we got there. We were not allowed to appear on the screens,” says Schupp. “He took roll, but he didn’t allow us to answer the rolls. He just said, ‘Okay, this commissioner is here, this commissioner is here.’ We were not allowed to make a comment at any point in time. We were not allowed to use the chat to put forward questions.”

Schupp says she asked the firm for additional information.

“I tried reaching out to them via phone and email. I was not responded to but then there was a letter sent saying that Armstrong Teasdale had fulfilled their contractual obligation and they would not be communicating with any of us – that their relationship with us was over as per the contract,” she says.

Schupp says the governor’s general counsel, his chief of staff, and Missouri Office of Administration Commissioner Sarah Steelman all agree the summary and full report are subject to the state’s open records law.

“I don’t think the chairman is trying to undermine the care for our veterans,” says Schupp. “I just think he’s gone about this in a way that is not constructive. But, I do believe he is hampering our ability to take care of our veterans by his actions and refusal to release this public report. And he is sidestepping Missouri law. Even though we don’t necessarily agree as commissioners on what information needs to be put out there to move us in this direction, I think every one of us wants to make sure that our veterans health, safety, and well-being are the absolute top priority. At the same time, we care deeply about our staff who does the very hard work of taking care of our veterans, which is hard anyway. But during a pandemic, just so difficult. We are grateful and want to keep all of them healthy and safe.”

Has Schupp gotten any pushback since putting out the call? She says Noonan sent the rest of the commission a copy of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about her efforts to get the full report released. She says Noonan included a note suggesting that Schupp has put the commission at risk and he plans to call a meeting within the next week.

“I have been asking him to call a meeting,” she says. “Now maybe he will move forward and call a meeting so that I can talk to the commissioners, along with the Missouri Veterans Commission attorney, about why it is critical that we release this document.”

Schupp says the commission has been holding meetings quarterly, but the chairman has the ability to call additional meetings if he wants.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on December 2, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Gov. Parson’s office issued this statement to Missourinet:

“As a veteran myself, the Missouri Veterans Commission is very important to me. It’s not about the Commission or the Chair; it’s about the veterans. This is why I took action and called for an investigation. It’s evident that change is needed,” said Parson.

During a Capitol press conference Wednesday in Jefferson City, Missourinet asked Parson to elaborate on what changes he wants.

“I’ve got to be careful with that,” he said. “I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure they (veterans) are taken care of. If people didn’t do their job is why I called for the investigation to expose that, if that is the case. The veterans will be a priority. I’m not going to worry about everybody’s personal lives that sit on a commission or a chairman. I’m just going to absolutely worry about the veterans and that is my whole focus.”

Noonan was appointed in 2017 by former Gov. Eric Greitens.

In an email from Noonan to Office of Administration Commissioner Sarah Steelman, Noonan says he is “keen” to release the report but wants assurances first.

“At this point, I believe it is prudent to have an opinion letter from the state. This should clearly articulate that I am held harmless and incidentally I don’t have attorney-client privilege with Armstrong Teasdale,” says Noonan.

Missourinet has contacted the Veterans Commission seeking a comment from Noonan.

Earlier stories:

Parson: changes must be made at Missouri veterans homes; governor also touts safety of COVID vaccine
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/12/18/parson-changes-must-be-made-at-missouri-veterans-homes-governor-also-touts-safety-of-covid-vaccine/

Veterans Commission says homes need transformation: “We have to assume we’ll be hit like this again
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/12/16/veterans-commission-says-homes-need-transformation-we-have-to-assume-well-be-hit-like-this-again/

Governor Parson reacts to investigative report into recent COVID deaths at Missouri veterans homes
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/12/04/governor-parson-reacts-to-investigative-report-into-recent-covid-deaths-at-missouri-veterans-homes/

Armstrong Teasdale: Missouri veterans homes should undergo a COVID-19 reset (AUDIO)
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/12/03/armstrong-teasdale-missouri-veterans-homes-should-undergo-a-covid-19-reset-audio/

Missouri Veteran’s Homes COVID-19 deadly outbreak showed failures of leadership, planning and response, says scathing report
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/12/03/missouri-veterans-homes-covid-19-deadly-outbreak-showed-absence-of-leadership-planning-and-response-says-scathing-report/

Veterans Commission homes continue to fight coronavirus, 109 veterans dead since Sept. 1
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/11/24/veterans-commission-homes-continue-to-fight-coronavirus-109-veterans-dead-since-sept-1/

Kehoe: initial report about COVID deaths in Missouri veterans homes mentions air flow systems (AUDIO)
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/11/05/kehoe-initial-report-about-covid-deaths-in-missouri-veterans-homes-mentions-air-flow-systems-audio/

Hawley disturbed by COVID-19 deaths at Missouri veterans homes; MO DMAT-1 team now deployed (AUDIO/VIDEO)
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/10/26/hawley-disturbed-by-covid-19-deaths-at-missouri-veterans-homes-mo-dmat-1-team-now-deployed/

After deaths, Parson orders review of COVID-19 procedures within Missouri Veterans Homes
https://www.missourinet.com/2020/10/02/after-4-deaths-parson-orders-review-of-covid-19-procedures-within-missouri-veterans-homes/

After deaths, Parson orders review of COVID-19 procedures within Missouri Veterans Homes

October 2, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson is ordering an external review of Missouri’s seven Veterans Homes to determine if their efforts go far enough to combat COVID-19. The move follows a briefing Thursday with the governor that he says “raised concerns” about how well the homes are uniformly and systematically operating to prevent and, if necessary, contain COVID-19 outbreaks.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 27, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“We are deeply saddened by the news of the deaths in four of our Missouri Veterans Homes,” says Parson in a press release. “As a veteran myself, I care a great deal about the quality of care our veterans receive at the Veterans Homes in our state and have raised an alarm bell more than once when I felt we as a state weren’t meeting the standard of care I believe they are owed. We have been fighting COVID-19 for over seven months now, and we have learned a lot about how to fight the virus since March. The recent sudden positive case growth among staff and residents in our Veterans Homes, and most importantly, the tragic loss of lives of veterans in our care are, in my opinion, unacceptable.”

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) has provided information showing 155 active cases of COVID-19 currently exist among veterans and employees within the nursing homes.

• Cameron Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 2 veterans (reported Oct. 1); 2 staff members
• Cape Girardeau Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 57 veterans; 12 staff members
• Mexico Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 0 veterans; 0 staff members
• Mt. Vernon Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 27 veterans; 4 staff members
• St. James Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 24 veterans; 9 staff members
• St. Louis Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 0 veterans; 2 staff member
• Warrensburg Veterans Home – active COVID-19 cases: 12 veterans; 4 staff members

Until September, the commission says there had been a total of one death of a resident of a Veterans Home while there was an active COVID-19 case in a home. The one veteran death was at the St. Louis Home in April. For September, the following total deaths were reported at each home indicated while there were known COVID-19 cases among veterans in the home. MVC says the number of deaths that were caused by COVID-19 is not known at this time.

• Cape Girardeau Veterans Home – 21 total deaths reported
• Mt. Vernon Veterans Home – 7 total deaths reported
• St. James Veterans Home – 10 total deaths reported
• Warrensburg Veterans Home – 3 total deaths reported

In a press release from the commission, it says after months of few or no COVID-19 cases among veterans at Missouri’s Veterans Homes, five of the seven homes have reported active veteran cases this past month. Two new veteran cases were reported at one home for the first time Thursday.

Upon the first COVID-19 case being reported in Missouri on March 7, the commission immediately restricted access to visitors, vendors, and volunteers at all the homes. MVC then began training and made infectious disease protocols, including twice daily temperature checks and contact interviews with all employees.

In August, MVC began outdoor visits with family members and loved ones as conditions permitted. All outdoor visits included a screening process and wearing masks.

According to the release, over the last four months, more than 21,000 tests have been conducted among veterans and staff. In some of the homes staff and veterans are tested twice per week.

“From the first day that COVID-19 was detected in Missouri, the Veterans Homes implemented an extensive plan based on best practices to attempt to keep the virus out of our homes and protect our veterans,” MVC Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff says in the press release. “This has included limiting access, setting up quarantine and isolation areas in advance, extensive use of Personal Protective Equipment and increased cleaning and hygiene measures. We are concerned to see the heroes we care for dealing with this disease that is so virulent among the elderly and vulnerable populations.”

The governor has instructed Missouri Veterans Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan to launch a speedy, external to assess their performance and find ways, if any, to improve their management of COVID-19.

According to Parson’s release, the governor has also directed the deployment of the new Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests to Missouri Veterans Homes. An initial shipment of 2,400 tests was delivered to the MVC headquarters today to be distributed to priority Veterans Homes. The release says the nursing homes will then be supplied with sufficient antigen and PCR tests to support ongoing testing requirements.