Michigan nursing homes will have to meet a rigorous set of guidelines if they want to admit and care for COVID-19 patients under new legislation passed by state lawmakers.
A provider would be prohibited from treating seniors with COVID-19 unless it could prove it has a state-approved area within its facility dedicated to caring for residents with the disease under S.B. 1094. The state would additionally have to create a system for reviewing and approving those dedicated spaces for COVID-19 patients.
A physician also must confirm that the patient is medically stable to transfer and the resident’s family must be given 24 hours notice of the transfer, the bill states.
The legislation was passed early Wednesday morning by both the House and Senate and was awaiting a signature from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) at production deadline.
Whitmer, who has faced heat for previous coronavirus policies, told local media her office is still reviewing the nursing home legislation. The bill would be effective Nov. 1 if she signs it.
