July 7, 2021
Auditor General Agrees to Investigate Michigan’s Nursing Home Deaths
Lansing, Mich., July 7, 2021 – In response to the House Oversight Committee’s hearings over Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s deadly nursing home policy, the state auditor general has agreed to investigate whether the state has undercounted COVID deaths in nursing homes, and provide an accurate number. MIRS reports:
“The Office of the Auditor General has agreed to perform a review of how many individuals died in nursing homes and long-term care facilities due to COVID.
A letter from Auditor General Doug RINGLER, written in June, says it will review department databases to address concerns raised by House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Steven JOHNSON (R-Wayland).”
Whitmer has come under fire over the last year for repeatedly refusing to end her policy of putting COVID positive patients into nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where there were uninfected members of the elderly and other vulnerable populations.
“The Auditor General’s investigation will finally uncover the full extent of Governor Whitmer’s deadly nursing home policy and give the people of our state the answers they deserve,” said Eric Ventimiglia, executive director for Michigan Rising action. Ventimiglia continued, “Governor Whitmer’s refusal to relent on this disastrous policy led to the deaths of thousands of Michiganders, and this investigation will ensure that she and her administration are held accountable for their recklessness.”