Michiganders deserve a plan to keep our seniors safe from deadly COVID-19 outbreaks today, not two months from now.
June 26, 2020
Gov. Whitmer Asks for Nursing Home Safety Plan in Two Months Amid Calls for Policy Change and Investigations
Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 2020-135 creating a Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force and directing it to produce a recommendation to the governor for an action plan on how to prepare nursing homes for COVID-19 cases by August 31, 2020 – over two months from today.
Whitmer’s task force was created days after the Michigan State Senate passed legislation barring COVID-19 patients from being placed in nursing homes, as at least 1 in 3 COVID deaths in the state has been associated with nursing homes thus far. The number could be even greater, since the state does not release data on other long-term care facilities which have a greater number of residents than skilled nursing facilities licensed by the state.
Today, members of Michigan’s congressional delegation called on Whitmer to “reverse her policy of having nursing homes admit seniors who may have COVID-19” while Congressman Steve Scalise asked Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate the policy.
Republicans and Democrats have been publicly calling for changes to Whitmer’s nursing home policies for nearly two months after WXYZ reported “a Sterling Heights senior care center saw a spike in COVID-19 cases among residents after accepting two dozen positive patients recently discharged from area hospitals” on May 5.
Days later, Detroit Democrat Leslie Love stated “To return seniors into an environment, seniors with the virus still recovering from the virus, into an environment with, well, seniors, just didn’t seem — it’s not a good idea.”
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been ground zero for deadly outbreaks of COVID-19 since the virus first appeared in Washington State months ago. Michiganders deserve a plan to keep our seniors safe from deadly COVID-19 outbreaks today, not two months from now. – Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action.
Just today, Up North Live reports that there were “Six COVID-19 cases confirmed at Charlevoix County long-term care facility.” The state is supposed to be updating its website with confirmed cases of COVID-19 at skilled nursing facilities, but as of today, had not reported any cases at the Grandvue Medical Care Facility.
