This week, the Michigan House of Representatives approved a bill to house nursing home patients with COVID-19. Now it’s on the desk of Governor Whitmer for approval.
34% of COVID deaths in Michigan are nursing home related.
Senate Bill 956, introduced Senator Pete Lucido, requires the state to inspect and designate one dedicate facility for COVID-positive patients in all eight of the state’s health care regions by September 1.
After that date, if a hospital determines that a COVID-positive patient who is not a nursing home resident is ineligible for hospitalization, that patient would be transferred to a dedicate facility or field hospital.
Any patient who has tested positive would not be transferred to a nursing home until they have fully recovered.
Nursing home residents who contract the virus would be moved to a separate building or to one of the state designated COVID facilities.
Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said that the bill creates “detention centers” without any plans of funding for staff or physical buildings.
