Friday, April 30, 2021

30 April 2021: Michigan Lawmakers Seeking Probe of Governor Whitmer's COVID Nursing Home Policies

Michigan Legislature seeking investigation into nursing home COVID policies

Along with New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, Michigan was one of four states to sustain a policy of forcing nursing homes to admit patients known to have COVID infections over a significant period of time. This report indicates Michigan lawmakers want appropriate funds to investigate the impact of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's policies:

With COVID-19 still affecting lives in Michigan, Republican lawmakers want to investigate one of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s policies that they say may have put senior citizens at greater risk of getting COVID.

The Michigan Senate had approved a supplemental bill to investigate Whitmer and her policy of putting people who had COVID-19 into the state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Such policies were originally put into place to help free up hospital beds for other COVID-19 patients.

Senate Bill 27 would provide $1.25 million to support investigations by county prosecutors into long-term care and residential care facility policies implemented by the governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The report provides the following justification provided by Michigan state senator Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Township) for why legislative funding for an investigation is needed:

“The governor’s failed polices are responsible for forcing our most vulnerable residents into living spaces with seniors who tested positive for COVID-19,” said Lauwers in a statement. “Our seniors now account for at least one-third of our state’s COVID-19 deaths.”

Lauwers also claimed that Whitmer refused to work with the Legislature and denied answers to grieving families.

Since both of these bill are appropriations bills, they would have to go through committee and be approved by both legislative chambers to go into effect.

While Republicans have worked on this legislation since March, state Attorney General Dana Nessel has not investigated such nursing home policies.

Here is some background information from when the timeline has intersected with Michigan's COVID nursing home deaths scandal:

-