The Michigan State Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit the transfer of COVID-19 patients into nursing homes and long-term care facilities without certain criteria being met.
According to a sponsor of the bill, Senator Peter J. Lucido, “Nursing homes and long-term care facilities were never equipped to deal with a virus like COVID-19 that has affected our elderly and vulnerable populations.”
In Michigan, more than a third of the state’s COVID-19 related deaths have been connected to nursing homes. In St. Clair County, out of 49 deaths attributed to COVID-19, 26 occurred in nursing homes.
Senate Bill 956 would require MDHHS to approve the facilities that meet the stricter criteria for accepting COVID-19 patients.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 972, is on the docket for the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services. That bill would prohibit the transfer of people who have COVID-19 into the state’s adult foster care facilities.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
