If a staff member knows or has reason to believe that someone is taking financial advantage of a nursing home resident they now have a direct line to investigators.

The debate over how many Michiganders died of COVID in nursing homes and long-term care facilities took center stage in Lansing on Thursday.

Michigan health officials have issued an epidemic order that requires nursing homes to offer on-site doses of the COVID vaccine to their residents.

There is new pushback against Michigan’s Auditor General’s nursing home deaths report.

On Friday, Oct. 22, Local 4 ran a story inaccurately stating the Office of the Auditor General found 822 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in state records of long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

Like most industries across the U.S., senior and assisted living facilities are facing -- and struggling with -- staff shortages.

City council in Wyandotte is trying to decide on the future of the now-closed McKinley Elementary School.

The Justice Department will not open a civil rights investigation related to COVID-19 deaths in Michigan’s nursing homes.

The Justice Department will not open a civil rights investigation related to COVID-19 deaths in Michigan’s nursing homes.

Researchers studied a COVID outbreak in a nursing home in the country. Seventy-five percent of the residents and 52% of the staff were fully vaccinated. Blood tests showed all but one of the fully vaccinated residents had antibodies against COVID-19.

Michigan’s Auditor General’s Office announced it would study the reported and unreported deaths in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

A Detroit woman took thousands of dollars from her mother and brother while the two were living in nursing homes, officials said.

A recent survey found that U.S. senior care facilities are facing or have recently faced staff shortages amid a tumultuous year.

Michigan’s top health official says nursing homes are accurately reporting the number of coronavirus-related deaths, amid questions over whether the tally is low.

Questions are still being asked about COVID-19 care in Michigan’s nursing homes.

Gifted by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B), the electronic cats and dogs bring their owners comfort and companionship by purring, barking, blinking, wagging tails and turning their heads.

Michigan officials are ramping up COVID-19 testing at nursing homes, schools and airports as the number of cases spreading throughout the state continues to rise. More than 72,000 free tests have been conducted at neighborhood testing sites in socially vulnerable communities and continue to provide testing . Free post-spring break testing pop-up sites are planned for school districts in 34 communities. Testing sites at welcome centers and Michigan airports are in the works for returning travelers. Vaccine providers with the capacity to vaccinate all individuals ages 16 years and older are allowed do so at this time, state officials said.

(AP Photo/David Eggert, File)LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday declined Republicans' request to investigate whether nursing home orders issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration falsified figures to downplay deaths in nursing homes. Runestad accused the attorney general of abdicating her responsibility and said legislative committees had been unable to get data from the state. AdIn New York, state Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating nursing homes based on neglect allegations and noncompliance with infection-control protocols. Hundreds of other nursing homes can still retain or admit infected residents because they have a designated area for them, typically in the same building.

DETROIT – There is no standard policy for reporting how many COVID-related deaths have occurred in Michigan nursing home facilities. Gretchen Whitmer’s policies as they are related to nursing home deaths. READ: Michigan AG looks into requests to investigate state nursing home policyMany families are simply left lost and alone as they search for answers to what happened to their loved ones. Whitmer stands by COVID nursing home policy amid threats of legal actionSen. Jim Runestad is one of the lawmakers demanding answers from Whitmer’s office about nursing home deaths during the pandemic. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office is looking into requests to investigate the state’s COVID-19 nursing home policy.

Nothing stops Frank Notaft from visiting Lake Pointe Senior Care in Clinton Township. He drives from Warren, sets up a tent, chair, heater and radio to meet with his wife of the past 60 years. Prior to the pandemic, 83-year-old Notaft would come to have lunch, dinner and to hold 80-year-old Nikki’s hand to walk the hallways. AdThe love story is well known inside Lake Point Senior Care and outside. “A lady gave me the tent,” Notaft said.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Macomb County prosecutor and former Michigan House Rep. Pete Lucido said his office is flooded with calls from families who said their perfectly-health loved-ones died in nursing homes. READ: Michigan AG looks into requests to investigate state nursing home policyHe said they’ve told him they are unable to get any answers from nursing homes or from the state about what has happened. Some believe their deaths may have been connected to a nursing home policy put in place by Gov. Initially, patients who tested positive for COVID were placed in the same facility with patients who did not have COVID. The report, released by the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), evaluated the state’s regional nursing home hub strategy, comparing the approach to outcomes in other states.

Gretchen Whitmer has faced criticism over a nursing home policy that her administration put in place in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, patients who tested positive for COVID were placed in the same facility with patients who did not have COVID. READ: Michigan AG looks into requests to investigate state nursing home policyAdWhitmer’s policy differed from New York Gov. The most current count puts the long-term care death count at 5,537 in Michigan, which is more than 35 percent of all of the state’s COVID deaths. I think that it sometimes can be a fool’s errand because the way that we are congregating data varies from state to state,” Whitmer said.

Here we are tracking the state of Michigan’s COVID-19 data for nursing homes, also referred to as long term care facilities. All long-term care facilities additionally have an obligation to report COVID-positive residents and/or staff to their Local Health Department. Skilled Nursing Facilities are facilities licensed to provide organized nursing care and medical treatment to 7 or more unrelated individuals suffering or recovering from illness, injury, or infirmity. This data set includes all licensed nursing facilities with the exception of hospice residences licensed as nursing homes. Adult Foster Care Facilities and Homes for the Aged provide care to persons not needing the 24 hour nursing care found in nursing facilities, yet need monitoring and assistance with activities of daily living.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office is looking into requests to investigate the state’s COVID-19 nursing home policies. Whitmer announces nursing home visitation to resume in MichiganOnly eight representatives left their names off the letter, including House Speaker Jason Wentworth. Another 11 republicans signed onto the campaign to impeach Whitmer or force her to resign over the policy. READ: Michigan lawmakers hold hearing, seek answers about nursing home deaths amid pandemicThe centers for Medicaid, Medicare and the AARP have been calling for Whitmer to release all the state data on nursing home deaths. READ: Tracking COVID-19 cases, deaths in Michigan long term care facilities, nursing homes

The state of Michigan is easing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in several areas including restaurants and bars. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced the restrictions on indoor dining had been revised. Customers must still wear masks when they’re not seated at their tables. Mask mandate remainsAll persons participating in gatherings are required to wear a face mask under the Michigan “Gatherings and Face Mask Order.”Here are the face mask requirements listed under the order:Face mask requirement at gatherings:(a) All persons participating in gatherings are required to wear a face mask. An individual’s verbal representation that they are not wearing a face mask because they fall within a specified exception, however, may be accepted.

LANSING, Mich. – Over the past seven weeks, there’s been a decline in key metrics determining where we are with the pandemic. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday that visitation at nursing homes will resume. READ: 12 takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID briefing: Michigan restrictions loosenedAd“Under the new guidelines, family members will be able to go and visit their relatives in nursing homes after receiving a negative COVID-19 test,” Whitmer added. “We want people to be able to visit their family in the nursing homes, and we know that our businesses are doing their part to make their establishments as safe as they can,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. So far the state of Michigan has vaccinated more than 2 million residents.

(AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)A report released Tuesday shows nursing homes in the U.S. are seeing the lowest number of new COVID cases since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) started tracking back in May 2020. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said this report suggests the COVID vaccines are working. The AHCA/NCAL represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the nation. “Recent CMS data shows that nursing homes have seen an 82 percent decline in new COVID cases among residents since the peak during the week of December 20 of last year when there were more than 30,000 new resident cases. The report also shows cases have dropped to the lowest level since CMS started tracking weekly COVID cases in nursing homes last May.

The hearing was initially meant to probe whether the state’s nursing home policy designated them as “hubs” for COVID patients. Andrew Cuomo’s administration was found to have been undercounting certain types of COVID deaths among nursing home patients, effectively lowering the number of deaths attributed to virus spread in nursing homes. State numbers show that a higher number of deaths: just over 5,500 residents in long-term care facilities have reportedly died from the virus. There has been no evidence, however, that Michigan is undercounting or underreporting long-term care COVID deaths. The plan was also backed by medical experts at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, the CDC and AARP, among others over the course of the pandemic.

A QuantStudio 12K Flex Real-Time PCR System at LynxDx's headquarters in Ann Arbor. “We did -- and continue to do -- all of their screening and asymptomatic testing.”LynxDx also does testing for St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital. As of Jan. 20, the company is the second leading lab for COVID testing in Michigan, following Curative DC, according to MDHHS. Drive-thru testing in Ann ArborIn mid-November, LynxDx opened a drive-thru testing site in Ann Arbor in the parking lot of 2|42 Community Church at 648 S. Wagner Rd. in Ann Arbor.

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – It’s history in the making. The entire staff and residents at Samaritas Senior Living became the first senior living facility in Oakland County to get the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday. I would like a sucker!”RELATED: COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Michigan nursing homesStaff from the Oakland County Health Department administered the vaccine. Staff said they will continue to watch county and state data before making any further decisions about keeping all who enter here safe. READ: Tracking COVID-19 cases, deaths in Michigan long term care facilities, nursing homes

DETROIT – As the COVID-19 vaccine moves closer to becoming a reality, a campaign of what’s being called “contextual information” is being rolled out. The goal is to convince some reluctant health care workers to get in line for the vaccine when it’s available. While there are former presidents ready to roll up their sleeves to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s released, not everyone is as prepared or willing. There was the Tuskegee Experiment in which black men were deliberately misled and untreated for syphilis for 40 years. Jewish children in Vienna were used as human guinea pigs for measles studies.

DETROIT – Nursing homes have been ground zero for the spread of COVID-19, especially at the start of the pandemic. Some families have different views on the COVID-19 vaccine. READ: Michigan nursing homes prepare for potential COVID-19 vaccineKaren Vanderkloot DiChiera, who alongside David DiChiera, built the Michigan Opera Theatre brand -- was already living with dementia. Her daughter, Lisa, said she wishes desperately that a COVID-19 vaccine could have been available. Click here to view a timeline of when the COVID-19 vaccine could be available to Michigan’s general public.

DETROIT – There is growing excitement at nursing homes and long-term care facilities about being named among the first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available. READ: Timeline of when Michigan officials hope to have COVID-19 vaccine available to general publicThose kinds of facilities have been particularly hard hit. The owner of a large nursing home group said the recommendation from the CDC is a game-changer for the better. According to the state’s website, the group has had a total of 162 deaths of residents and 4 staff deaths. She believes being first in line for the vaccine is critical to keeping long-term care facilities safe.

Michigan will allow indoor visitation to long term care facilities for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started in the state. The state had previously allowed outdoor visits and visits for terminally ill patients. Under the order, visitation rules are linked to the risk level of the county. Residential care visitation order infographic. Based on county risk levels and the type of visit, some visitors will be required to receive COVID testing prior to entry.

Seniors living in Metro Detroit nursing homes have often felt isolated, lonely and scared during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Motor City Lyric Opera is working to make life a little better for those residents. “We’re going to make sure that their mental mind is OK, and that they’re physically OK.”There’s been an outpouring of kindness in the community to make sure nursing home residents know they’re not forgotten. The world-renowned musicians decided to create two musical concerns for senior communities to show their residents. Motor City Lyric Opera is encouraging other senior living communities to enjoy their performance, too.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued orders essentially reinstating restrictions on long term care facilities and other facilities due to coronavirus. The residential care order has three major components: notice requirements regarding cases, limitations on visitations and limitations on communal dining. Contact the local health department in the facility’s jurisdiction to report the presence of a confirmed COVID-19 positive employee or resident. The order continues restrictions on visitation to residential care facilities, which include nursing homes, homes for the aged, adult foster care, assisted living, independent living, and SUD residential facilities. The community dining rules apply for the first time to independent living, hospice facilities and SUD residential facilities.

Gretchen Whitmer spoke more about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its affect on the state, including changes to her policies on nursing homes, communal meals and activities. Now, Whitmer wants those patients to be put into newly classified care and recovery centers -- nursing homes with higher quality ratings. At the same time, she’s loosening some of the communal meals and activities restrictions, as long as they are socially distanced. Whitmer extended the $1 million per month least through the end of the year, even though few patients were sent there. “We need to have some plan in the event we start to see a climb again," Whitmer said.

Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday to extend protection for residents and staff members at long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic. “From day one, I have taken action to protect both seniors and staff in long-term care facilities from COVID-19. “That’s why we have been working around the clock to protect our seniors and aggressively following CDC guidance to limit the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. I signed an order months ago requiring testing for all residents and staff and new residents, and my administration has helped get nursing homes thousands of tests. According to the press release, the centers “will be care units dedicated exclusively to caring for and isolating COVID-19-affected residents.”The order also requires nursing homes to inform legal guardians or health proxies of residents or employees testing positive.

LANSING, Mich. – A top health official on Wednesday defended Michigan’s handling of nursing home residents infected with the deadly coronavirus, contending its performance has been “strong” compared to other states and again dismissing Republicans' call for facilities that house only COVID-19 patients. Robert Gordon, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said just two states — Florida and Massachusetts — tried the approach and have since abandoned it. Majority GOP lawmakers and some Democrats have criticized letting recovering patients stay in or return to homes as long as they are isolated from uninfected residents. “There are many complexities to standing up and creating entire facilities for only COVID-positive people,” he told a joint legislative oversight committee. “There are many risks around it.”If existing facilities were used, uninfected people would have to be transferred out, he said.

LANSING, Mich. – Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Michigan can start seeing visitors outdoors Tuesday as a new order goes into effect. An order signed last week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will allow an exception to Gov. The new order, which goes into effect Tuesday (Sept. 15), will allow outdoor visitation as long as certain COVID-19 safety guidelines are followed. “The Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program welcomes this cautious step forward to allow outdoor visits with residents of long-term care facilities,” said Salli Pung, the program ombudsman. MDHHS previously eased visitation restrictions for residential care facilities in an emergency order issued June 30.

Michiganders who lost loved ones in nursing homes during COVID-19 pandemic demand answersPublished: September 8, 2020, 5:48 pmMichigan residents who lost loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic say the system failed them, and they’re demanding answers.

Michigan residents who lost loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic say the system failed them, and theyre demanding answers. Nearly two weeks ago, the Department of Justice requested the state of Michigan hand over information about how it handled COVID-19 cases in nursing homes. According to the Department of Justice, Michigans orders might have resulted in thousands of deaths elderly people in nursing homes. But Michigan families are growing angrier as they struggle to get the answers theyre looking for. Families are also frustrated that the nursing homes have immunity from lawsuits related to COVID-19, she said.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed two new executive orders on Saturday that extend protections for frontline workers at grocery stores, pharmacies and long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of the new orders, 2020-178, focuses on protecting customers and staff members at grocery stores and pharmacies. Frontline workers in our hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes, and more have put their own lives on the line to protect our families,” Whitmer said. Still, the governor’s office says that this week Whitmer is reviewing recommendations made by the state’s Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force and will implement any changes following her review. The executive orders signed Saturday are extensions of previous executive orders Whitmer enacted at the beginning of the pandemic -- which were most recently extended on August 10 and were slated to expire on September 7.

A new report finds Michigan’s plan to create “hubs” for nursing home residents with COVID-19 was “logical and appropriate,” and found no significant evidence of transmission of the virus between patients and residents. Whitmer for Michigan nursing home data linked to the coronavirus outbreak as part of an effort to find out if the state’s response warrants a federal investigation. No significant evidence of transmission of COVID-19 between patients admitted from hospitals to nursing home residents in hub facilities. Nursing home resident COVID-19 prevalence positively correlated with county COVID-19 prevalence rates for both hub and non-hub nursing homes. “We have taken great strides to protect families from the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon.

Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Friday to maintain temporary visitation restrictions at health care facilities and nursing homes amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to a press release from Whitmers Office, Executive Order 2020-174 continues the limited and temporary restrictions on the entry of individuals into health care facilities, residential care facilities, congregate care facilities, and juvenile justice facilities previously imposed by Executive Order 2020-156.The order extends through Sept. 30. Under the order, all visitors and staff of residential care facilities, congregate care facilities or juvenile justice facilities must wear a mask when indoors or within six feet of another person. Whitmer created the bipartisan Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force in June within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The task force was instructed by the governor to recommend an action plan for preparing nursing homes for any future waves of COVID-19 cases by Aug. 31.

Gretchen Whitmer for Michigan nursing home data linked to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as part of an effort to find out if the state’s response warrants a federal investigation. Officials want to find out if state orders requiring nursing homes to admit COVID-19 positive patients are responsible for the deaths of residents. The Civil Rights Division is considering an investigation into whether nursing home residents had their rights violated. MORE: Michigan lawmaker calls COVID-19 nursing home policy ‘most idiotic thing we could come up with’Finally, it asks for the number of people who were admitted to public nursing homes after they had already tested positive for COVID-19. Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania required nursing homes to admit COVID-19 positive patients and received letters from the Justice Department.

Gretchen Whitmers administration is taking action to protect frontline workers in grocery stores, pharmacies and long-term care facilities. For the past five months, Michiganders have stepped up and done their part to fight COVID-19, and frontline workers in our hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes, and more have put their own lives on the line to protect our families, said Whitmer. Her administration says the health and safety of nursing home residents and staff remain a top priority. On June 26, she created the bipartisan Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Grocery stores and pharmacies must offer accommodations to vulnerable employees, such as low-risk assignments or a leave of absence.

DETROIT – Around 1,600 Detroit nursing home workers are set to go on strike later this month due to concerns about the safety of residents during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Workers are planning to go on strike Aug. 17, more than five months into the pandemic. “Nursing home owners failed to prepare for this virus before it arrived and failed to protect us once it was here. By going on strike, I’m not just fighting on behalf of nursing home workers. I’m fighting for my residents, too.”Striking workers in Detroit plan to draw attention to racial disparities inherent to the nursing home crisis.

LANSING, Mich. More than 2,000 of the coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in Michigan have occurred in nursing homes. That puts Michigan in, or near, the top 10 in the nation in nursing home fatalities. Gretchen Whitmer about it on Tuesday, she pushed back on the suggestion that Michigan handled the virus badly when it comes to nursing homes. READ: Michigan governor vetoes nursing home bill calling it a political gameI think I would challenge you on the statement you just made, Whitmer said. Hes the one who brought forth the bill Whitmer vetoed.

All 442 federally certified nursing homes in the state went through an infection control survey from March 26 through June 19. BCHS serves as an agent of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services and provides regulatory oversight of the states nursing homes. When a complaint is received by BCHS that may fall in this category, health care surveyors have 48 hours to go on-site to conduct the investigation. The new mandate requires states complete 100% of the focused infection control surveys of federally certified nursing homes by Aug. 31 or lose up to 15% of the CARES federal funding. More headlines on Michigan nursing homes:

DETROIT – Michigan is easing restrictions on visiting nursing homes and other care facilities for limited circumstances as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The orders allow expanded visitation in long-term care facilities including nursing homes, and in facilities for youth who are in child caring institutions or juvenile justice facilities. One order applies to residential long-term care facilities, which include nursing homes, homes for the aged, adult foster care facilities, hospice facilities, substance abuse disorder residential facilities, independent living facilities and assisted living facilities. The other order affects youth in congregate care facilities – known as child caring institutions – and juvenile justice facilities – also known as juvenile detention facilities. Safety requirements that facilities must follow to allow visitors can be found in the epidemic orders for residential long-term care facilities and for congregate care facilities.

Lawmakers want Michigan AG to investigate nursing homes amid coronavirus pandemicPublished: June 28, 2020, 6:33 pmMembers of Congress are requesting Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel -- in addition to other states -- to investigate how nursing homes were used during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Gretchen Whitmer has extended an Executive Order that restricts visits to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Executive Order 2020-136 extends existing safety measures to maintain restrictions regarding entry to care facilities designed to protect vulnerable populations. Whitmer also signed Executive Order 2020-135, which creates the bipartisan Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force will be charged with, among other things, analyzing relevant data on the threat of COVID-19 in nursing homes, and making recommendations to the governor on improving data quality, and releasing periodic reports to the governor on its findings and recommendations. The task force must produce a recommendation to the governor for an action plan on how to prepare nursing homes for any future wave of COVID-19 cases by August 31, 2020.

DETROIT Nursing homes have been hit hardest by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Michigan and around the country. Whitmer admits flaws in controversial COVID-19 nursing home policyThe biggest failure in the U.S. has been not helping people in nursing homes, said Arthur Caplan, the head of the Medical Ethics Division at New York University. MORE: Michigan lawmakers demand Whitmer stop placing COVID-19 patients in nursing homesIn Massachusetts, my own mom died, he said. It was pretty sad.He said nursing homes just arent designed in a way to provide adequate safety during an outbreak. Gretchen Whitmer ordered all nursing home staff and residents to be tested for the coronavirus.

LANSING, Mich. A bill aimed at keeping some of our states most vulnerable people from being exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19) cleared a hurdle in the State Senate. That bill would barr COVID-19 patients from being placed in Michigan nursing homes. READ: Whitmer defends nursing home policySenate Bill 956 passed through Michigan Senate with no problems. Gretchen Whitmers original nursing home decision that allowed elderly patients with COVID-19 to live in the same facility as patients without COVID-19. READ: Doctors Without Borders assists Metro Detroit nursing homes with COVID-19 proceduresYeah, I would say, we need to remember where we were 10 weeks ago.

Gretchen Whitmers nursing home policy, which commingles patients who test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) with healthy residents. READ: Whitmer defends nursing home policyOn Thursday, members of the Michigan House and Senate passed resolutions calling on Whitmer to end her policy. During Thursdays hearing, Dr. Rebecca Cope spoke with the Senate Health Policy Committee about this topic. Officials with the Michigan Health Department said more than one-third of the states nearly 6,000 coronavirus deaths came from nursing homes. Lucidos bill looks to end regional hubs and prevent COVID-19 patients from entering nursing homes.

Gretchen Whitmer is continuing to defend her policy that places patients who test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in nursing homes with healthy residents. Officials with the Michigan Health Department said more than one-third of the states nearly 6,000 coronavirus deaths came from nursing homes. READ: Heres everything thats reopening this week in MichiganFlorida, which has a much larger senior population, decided not to commingle COVID-19 positive patients with COVID-19 negative seniors. He now has a bill that would keep the positive patients out of Michigan nursing homes. Lucido wants Whitmer to dedicate one facility for recovering COVID-19 patients.

LANSING, Mich. – At the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Metro Detroit, many COVID-19 patients were put in nursing homes to recover. That policy still stands, despite numerous calls for Michigan Gov. READ: Michigan’s policy of housing COVID-19 nursing home patients with uninfected patients comes under scrutinyThe policy has been controversial, especially since other states have abandoned it. They are required to separate the COVID-19 positive patients from the COVID-19 negative patients -- but in the same building. Both the House and the Senate are considering bills that would prevent the COVID-19 positive from being admitted to a nursing home.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she’s open to changing controversial COVID-19 nursing home policyPublished: June 9, 2020, 5:50 pmAt the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Metro Detroit, many COVID-19 patients were put in nursing homes to recover.

Gretchen Whitmer change the controversial policy that puts coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in nursing homes with healthy residents. MORE: Whitmer admits flaws in controversial COVID-19 nursing home policyStates such as New York have already reversed their similar policies, and lawmakers want to know why Michigan hasnt done so. The state of Michigan is spending about $40,000 each day to convert the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. But the field hospital hasnt been used for nursing home patients, and House Republicans are wondering why. But the argument is that thats often not possible, and there are still COVID-19 positive patients in the same facilities.

Gretchen Whitmer has admitted there are flaws in her controversial plan to put positive and negative coronavirus (COVID-19) patients together in the same nursing homes. MORE: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 nursing home data by county, facilityThe daughter of one nursing home patient told Local 4 she was watching Monday as Whitmer answered questions about whether she had any regrets with her policy. Carlsons mother, Esther May Gordon, is 87 years old and lives in a Southeast Michigan nursing home that accepts COVID-19 positive patients, Carlson said. Im terrified she is going to get COVID-19 and Im never going to see her again, Carlson said. Carlson wants Whitmer to find a separate facility for COVID-19 positive patients, but thats not something the governor has suggested she is looking into.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Undergraduate students from the University of Michigan have been raising funds through the Blue Mask Initiative to buy KN-95 masks for front line healthcare workers at elder nursing homes. Created in May by University of Michigan students Adhavan Arivalagan and Akash Rau, the Blue Mask Initiative was started to help with the lack of personal protective equipment for staff members working with a vulnerable population. Blue Mask Initiative joined similar groups at other schools and community organizations, including Michigan State University, Northville High School and Detroit Country Day, to expand the reach of the initiative. According to OFarrell, the organization had over 80 student members who used their social networks to fundraise and raise awareness about the mask initiative. The Blue Mask Initiative campaign ended on May 31.

LANSING, Mich. A Michigan lawmaker whose mother has now tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) said Gov. Gretchen Whitmers controversial nursing home policy that puts infected patients in the same facilities as negative patients is the most idiotic thing we could come up with.Lawmakers are demanding changes to the policy, which was adopted early in the pandemic. The Senate Oversight Committee still wants more accountability and transparency from the Whitmer administration when it comes to COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Chief Robert Gordon, of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the governor backed off on some nursing home requirements that put positive patients in the same facilities as COVID-19 negative patients. Its negligent to allow it to continue, but its intentional now at this point.Lucido has proposed legislation to prevent COVID-19 positive patients from being housed in the same facilities as COVID-19 negative patients.

Gretchen Whitmers contested executive order concerning nursing homes and the coronavirus (COVID-19) expires Wednesday night, and she signaled that shes considering a major change to the current policy. Officials said there was a mad scramble inside Michigans nursing homes and the regional hubs where the COVID-19 positive patients went. There have been no mandates from the state that the nursing homes must take COVID-19 positive patients.Instead, the state gave homes $5,000 per patient. The oversight committee is anxious to see what Whitmer does with the new nursing home order. Members are still looking for solid numbers on how many Michiganders died in nursing homes.

DETROIT Michigan is considering a change to its controversial nursing home policy. Initially we reported 49% of Michigans COVID-19 deaths came from nursing homes in the Metro Detroit area. A second look now shows a lesser number of 29.7% of Michigan COVID-19 deaths occurring in Metro Detroit nursing homes. The new numbers are based on a more accurate understanding of the City of Detroit nursing home deaths. READ: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 nursing home data by county, facilityLocal 4 contacted the Detroit, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county health departments to try and get a handle on Southeast Michigan nursing home coronavirus deaths.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s emergency policy of housing positive coronavirus (COVID-19) nursing home patients in nursing homes with COVID-19 negative patients is coming under scrutiny in Lansing. Whitmer’s nursing home executive orderThe Senate COVID-19 oversight committee had many questions for the Health and Human Services Department about Michigan Gov. Only about half of the state’s nursing homes have been inspected since the policy went into effect last month. HHS Director Robert Gordon originally intended to use the TCF Center instead of the regional hubs -- but then opted out. “I’m appalled of the fact somebody wasn’t at each of these facilities before any COVID-19 patients entered these facilities to possibly infect others," Lucido said.

Michigan’s policy of housing COVID-19 nursing home patients with uninfected patients comes under scrutinyPublished: May 13, 2020, 6:14 pmMichigan’s emergency policy of housing positive coronavirus (COVID-19) nursing home patients in nursing homes with COVID-19 negative patients is coming under scrutiny in Lansing.

DETROIT – Michigan state senate met Wednesday morning to discuss Gov. UPDATE -- May 12, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 48,021; Death toll now at 4,674It’s a bipartisan committee that looked at how it is being managed. One of the larger concerns is the notion of taking COVID-19 positive patients and putting them in the same building as COVID-19 negative patients. Innitially, the state wanted seniors who were testing positive to be relocated there, but now they’re being moved to regional hubs. RELATED: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 nursing home data by county, facility

Published: May 5, 2020, 6:36 pm Updated: May 6, 2020, 8:17 amDETROIT – Cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are spreading through nursing homes and long-term care facilities across Metro Detroit. Families with loved ones in nursing homes have reached out to the Local 4 Defenders. He said she came down with COVID-19 inside the Macomb County nursing home where she was living. She has a lot of questions for her sister’s Wayne County nursing home, including how she could have gotten COVID-19. With Wayne County nursing homes a hotspot, state and county teams are focused there.

Families want answers after loved ones die from coronavirus in Metro Detroit nursing homesPublished: May 5, 2020, 6:33 pmCases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are spreading through nursing homes and long-term care facilities across Metro Detroit.