Rep. Bronna Kahle of Adrian today helped introduce a House resolution opposing nursing home policies which have put the lives of Michigan seniors in danger during the COVID-19 era.

Gov. Whitmer has continued with a plan that places COVID-19 patients into long-term care facilities – putting individuals who have tested positive under the same roof as healthy residents. Other states that had implemented the same strategy quickly released the mistake and have since reversed course, but Michigan has not.

“This misguided policy continues to put many of our must vulnerable residents at risk – including grandparents, moms, dads, aunts and uncles,” said Kahle, who served as the director of a senior center before joining the Michigan House. “These seniors have been put in frightening, dangerous and isolating situations – sometimes with fatal consequences. This resolution serves as their voice in opposition to a poor policy.”

Senior citizens, especially those in nursing homes, are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. Reports indicate roughly 25 percent of Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths – about 1,600 people — have been nursing home residents.

Nursing homes without dedicated spaces to isolate and tend to COVID-19 patients are required to send them to regional hubs – a separate nursing home which has been approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. A May 20 executive order requires the hubs to accept patients.

Kahle continues to call for the administration to release more information related to this policy, which the governor has acknowledged is flawed.

“Especially during these challenging times, our state needs smart and sensible policies,” Kahle said. “The state’s current policy related to COVID-19 and nursing homes falls short of that standard.”

HR 276 has been referred to the House Health Policy Committee for consideration.