Workers At Adult Care Facility Say They Are Wearing Painters' Masks For Multiple Days As COVID-19 Protection

KANKAKEE, Ill. (CBS) -- A state-run home in Kankakee has 12 cases of COVID-19, and for those who work at the facility, concern over how the place is being run is making them nervous.

The Shapiro Developmental Center is a place near and dear to hundreds of families where challenging lives are made far better. Some living at the facility for the mentally disabled have been there for a decade or more. Staff who provide close up care become family to the residents.

But some of the staff members say they are not being offered proper protection.

"They're not telling you whats going on, and they were not prepared," said Cindy Bogue, a parent of one of the residents.

Since CBS 2 shared the story of Paul Bogue, one of the 12 people testing positive for COVID-19 at the facility, frontline workers who care for the nearly 500 residents like Paul began coming forward, saying policies are putting their health at risk.

"They were bringing in masks from home and gloves from home, and they were told to remove those. They were told that they would be disc if they did that," said Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst, who represents Kankakee in Springfield.

Parkhurst heard from some claiming the masks given at the Shapiro Developmental Center were often painters' masks.

Staffers told her they were told to use them for five days then flip them over.

"That is endangering not only the residents and the staff, but our whole community," she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services that runs the facility told CBS 2 they are investigating claims around face masks. The representative said this is not coming from just one or two employees. It's coming in big numbers. She said the comments and criticisms are consistent, and that the message from management at the facility is: If you speak out, employees, your job may be on the line.

One Shapiro administrator was asked to a Facebook post down from his personal page. It read, "If you've been in contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19, CDC no longer recommends 14 day quarantine. The recommendation is to work utilizing a mask."

"We cant even take care of our state facilities," Parkhurst said. "We have Stateville, now we have Shapiro. They're not following the CDC guidelines."

CBS 2 asked the governor about these allegations at the center at Wednesday's press conference.

"We're doing the best we can. We're certainly trying our best to take care of our seniors, our children, people who are in our care," Gov. JB Pritzker said.

But Pritzker did not address CBS 2's questions about those concerns raised by staffers at the Shapiro Center, where more than 1,000 people work.

Workers who shared messages with CBS 2 said they wanted to make clear that they love their residents and their profession, but they just want to be kept safe.