We applaud the DOJ for looking into this important issue and hope Michigan’s seniors and their families can get the protection and answers they deserve.
August 26, 2020
DOJ Seeks COVID-19 Data From Gov. Whitmer On Nursing Homes As Outbreaks Continue
The Detroit News reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking COVID-19 data from Governor Gretchen Whitmer and three other governors as it “examines their policies for nursing homes during the pandemic.”
“The department’s Civil Rights Division is evaluating whether to launch investigations under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, which protects the rights of persons in state-run nursing homes, a press release said. The Department of Justice said Michigan and the other states issued orders that ‘may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents.'”
The new development comes just a day after Whitmer’s administration released a general list of where COVID-19 outbreaks are occurring across the state showing that 79 of 222 coronavirus outbreaks reported in Michigan during the pandemic have been at long-term care facilities, exceeding social gatherings, manufacturing and food processing centers.
Whitmer has yet to adjust her nursing home policies and vetoed bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting nursing home residents. On June 26, Whitmer created a task force that was charged with producing a recommendation for an action plan on how to prepare nursing homes for COVID-19 cases by August 31. No plan has yet been released.
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities account for the majority of COVID outbreaks in the state and yet the Whitmer Administration hasn’t taken any action to protect Michigan’s seniors. Michigan still does not release complete data on long-term care facilities. We applaud the DOJ for looking into this important issue and hope Michigan’s seniors and their families can get the protection and answers they deserve. – Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action