The State of Michigan Republicans passed a bill Governor Whitmer vetoed. The bill allows for the transfer of COVID-19 patients without consent, doctors’ approval or notification of the family.
The Republicans want to override the veto. The Republican bill would be defeated in the courts.
There is also no funding proposed for these new facilities or regulations as to how they would be staffed. There won’t be professionals running to work in a COVID-19 only facility.
Governor Whitmer has a task force due to finish their report soon. It is suppose to help decide the best path forward for Michigan. The Republicans plan isn’t a plan. It only provides for “that feel good feeling.” To be completely honest the basis of the Republican plan is fear of the other rather than measured approaches that work.
Every nursing home in the country has to have plans in place to handle diagnosed COVID-19 patients. There must be methods in place by the nursing home administrators to isolate patients with highly contagious diseases.
The reason the virus spread like wildfire through nursing homes is because there was no warning such an illness was making the rounds until Oregon began seeing deaths in nursing homes. The death rate is more than 100 times that of the flu with seniors for which they always receive vaccines.
I think specialty facilities are a wonderful idea so long as they are well established and regulated to insure patients actually do better. My understanding is that the Republican bill is more imagineering than actual plans.
The Republican bill puts the cart before the horse. Show the public the buildings around the state now at the ready for a bill needed to allow transfers of patients to isolation facilities. There aren’t even buildings and staff at the ready to begin this work. It is like saying, “Build it and they will come.”
I am sure the Governor’s Task Force is extremely concerned and is preparing a plan that will be timely and effective.
I wish the politics of fear would stop and bipartisan solutions found. This virus flourishes in chaos.
