Michigan State Senator Lana Theis (R-Brighton) on Wednesday penned a letter to Auditor General Doug Ringler, calling for a series of audits to be conducted within the state’s nursing homes.
Specifically, the call for the investigation seeks to review the facilities’ inspections during and after COVID-19 lockdowns.
The request from Theis was sparked by the disappearance and death of an 80-year-old woman from an adult foster care facility in Oceola Township.
“This was a tragic loss of life that should not have happened,” said Theis. “Sadly, over the past year, we have seen far too many Michigan seniors die at long-term care facilities, and more must be done to ensure proper inspections at these facilities are conducted.”
According to the state lawmaker, a majority of nursing homes and long-term care facilities have not undergone a standard survey inspection for nearly a year and a half, due to the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
“On behalf of our seniors living in these facilities, and their families, I am respectfully requesting Auditor General Doug Ringler investigate facilities’ inspection compliance,” Theis said. “We deserve to know not only the types of mandated inspections, but also how many facilities have failed to have these inspections done. People’s lives are hanging in the balance.”
Theis requested the answers to numerous issues:
- The types of inspections currently mandated by the federal or state government for nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and adult foster care facilities;
- How many facilities had their mandated inspections delayed due to COVID-19 inspection policies issued by the Department of Health and Human Services;
- The number of facilities that have still not completed their inspections; and
- How many and what deficiencies are being found or reported once inspections are conducted.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lana Theis” by Lana Theis and photo “Michigan State Capitol” CC BY-SA 3.0.
