Shelby Review

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently sighed a bill into law that was designed to protect residents and staff at nursing homes across the state from the spread of COVID-19, according to the MiSenateGOP website.

“It is our moral duty as a society to protect our elders, and this new law will help do just that,” Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) said, according to MiSenateGOP. “Approving this bill was part of a process of putting aside political differences and working together to enact critical protections to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among our most vulnerable people.”

Sponsored by Lucido, Senate Bill 1094 is a combination of previously vetoed legislation and recommendations submitted by the Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force.

Sen. Peter Lucido | #MiSenateGOP

The Task Force was created by executive order to function in an advisory capacity to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to better inform the state’s response to a potential second wave of COVID-19. It is charged with coordinating across state government and industry stakeholders to provide recommendations from a broad range of relevant entities that report on best practices to contain the spread of COVID-19 and provide appropriate and timely technical assistance to nursing homes.

SB 1094 will prohibit individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, and who have not yet recovered, from being admitted into nursing facilities. The bill will also require MDHHS to, under the guidance of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, design and implement guidelines for creating centers that will focus on the care and recovery of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“I am grateful for the strong bipartisan support this legislation received from my colleagues, and I thank Gov. Whitmer for signing it,” Lucido told Michigan House Republicans. “Now seniors in nursing facilities and the staff who care for them can get the protection from COVID-19 they deserve.”