SE Grand Rapids News

Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland) wants to put an end to what she calls Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s "dangerous" nursing home policy amid the widespread COVID-19 pandemic.

Calley called out the policy that put coronavirus patients into long-term care centers. 

“Fortunately, our local nursing homes were prepared to isolate incoming patients and protect their residents," she said in a release from the Michigan House Republicans. "Many facilities throughout the state were not, but they were required to accept COVID-19 patients regardless of their level of preparedness.”

Still, Whitmer continued the policy and, despite the centers being prepared, the notion of having contagious residents in the same centers as the elderly, which is said to be one of the high-risk groups, seems unsafe. 

“Putting contagious patients under the same roof as our most vulnerable residents -- many of whom have compromised immune systems -- was a recipe for disaster," she said in the release. "I can’t help but wonder how many people lost a loved one because of this dangerous policy, especially when alternatives were available, such as the field hospitals in Novi and Detroit. Why the governor continues to implement it is beyond comprehension.”

Calley is pushing for Whitmer to provide more details about the nursing home regulation, and she pointed to other states like New York that previously adopted the policy, but later had a change of heart, while Michigan’s protocol remains in place.

“Michigan families deserve sensible policies that keep our seniors safe -- and the governor’s plan clearly doesn’t meet that standard. Families whose elderly loved ones died alone and afraid in our nursing homes deserve answers," she said in the release.

New studies say that nursing home residents account for about 34%, or more than 1,900 people, of Michigan residents who have passed away from COVID-19, according to Michigan House Republicans.