(WWJ) Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new Executive Order to create a Nursing Home Safety Task Force to protect residents and staff.
The Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force will be in charge of analyzing data on the threat of the virus in congregate care facilities and recommending an action plan to Governor Whitmer to prepare for future waves of the virus.
They will also be responsible for safety measures regarding entry to care facilities, including “rigorous screening protocols;” according to a press release from the Governor’s office.
The bi-partisan team will be comprised of representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). It will also include two members from both legislative houses, a representative from the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program; and 13 individuals with “a personal or professional interest in the health, safety, and welfare of nursing home residents and workers.”
“These actions will help our state protect more nursing home residents and staff in the case of a second wave. Moving forward, I will work closely with the task force and with everyone who wants to help us protect our most vulnerable communities, the heroes on the front lines, and our families from this virus,” Governor Whitmer said in the press release.
The Governor also signed an Executive Order extending restrictions on vistation and entry to congregate care settings.
To see a complete breakdown of cases and deaths in each Michigan nursing home, click here.
If you have loved ones in a nursing home; Paula Cunningham, Director of AARP Michigan, told WWJ Health Reporter, Dr. Deanna Lites, you should consider asking the following questions.
-How often is the nursing home being disinfected?
-How often are the staff and residents tested?
-Does the nursing home staff have the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe, and to keep their patients safe?
-What is the nursing home doing to help patients stay connected with their family during this time?
-What is the nursing home doing to communicate important information to both residents and their families on a daily basis?
The state reports at least one third of Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths were nursing home residents.