There has been controversy over Gov. Whitmer's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to nursing homes. | stock photo
There has been controversy over Gov. Whitmer's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to nursing homes. | stock photo
The Michigan House has pushed through Senate Bill 956, which bars sending those diagnosed with COVID-19 to nursing homes for treatment, The Center Square reported.
Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) sponsored the bill, which the Senate passed on June 24.
Under SB 956, the Department of Health and Human Services will join forces with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to review the regional nursing centers’ results before Saturday, Aug. 15.
Sen. Peter Lucido
| #MiSenateGOP
They also have until Tuesday, Sept. 1, to create a plan under the direction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop at least one COVID-19 center in all eight regions. After that, COVID-19 patients won't be allowed to check into a nursing home, unless they’ve fully recovered or the center has a separate building in which to house them.
Dr. Rebecca Copf, a family medicine specialist in Dearborn, supported the bill in a committee hearing earlier this month.
“The best and most obvious change to protect the most vulnerable seniors is to stop placing contagious COVID-positive patients with them, and thus avoid the risk of contamination,” Copf told The Center Square.
Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit) echoed similar sentiments and said the state previously hadn't been properly protecting nursing home residents. Still, she didn’t agree with the bill and called it a “flea flicker,” according to The Center Square. She said the language was too generic and ambiguous, and the required time frames didn’t give the government organizations enough time to work out the details.
She pointed out that the bill would require those infected with COVID-19 to be treated at a facility and not a private residence, which could include patients who are suffering other conditions, like depression or dementia.
“It’s not how we should be handling our seniors,” Love told The Center Square.
At the same time, Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville) said Whitmer’s order potentially spread the virus to the elderly and “contributed to nearly 2,000 preventable and unnecessary deaths,” he told The Center Square.
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