Rep. Jason Wentworth | Michigan House Republicans
Rep. Jason Wentworth | Michigan House Republicans
In response to the rising rates of COVID-19 in Michigan, Rep. Jason Wentworth’s (R-Farwell) resolution opposing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s nursing home policies and practices was approved by the state House.
Wentworth shared his reflections on the governor’s approach to the situation on the Michigan House Republicans website, calling the decision to put individuals who tested positive for the virus back into facilities with at-risk populations “irresponsible and misguided.”
“This wasn’t just a mistake -- this was a fatal error in judgement,” Wentworth said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “Yet the governor continues to defend her dangerous actions that have put the health and safety of our state’s most vulnerable in jeopardy. Our grandparents, mothers, fathers and spouses are not expendable.”
Wentworth said that the goal at this time is to protect our at-risk populations, not to put them at additional risk.
“This irresponsible policy never should have been implemented in the first place, and it must end immediately,” Wentworth told Michigan House Republicans.
The governor’s policy requires that nursing homes that do not have dedicated spaces to care for COVID-19 patients send them to regional hubs. Regional hubs, however, are just other nursing homes that have been given approval by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to treat the patients who've contracted the virus.
The governor issued an executive order on June 15, which still requires that regional hubs accept patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Nursing homes were never meant to serve as COVID-19 wards,” Wentworth said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “I’m standing up for our voiceless and calling for the governor to put an end to this policy. We are better than this and should be working together to implement sensible policies that keep our loved ones safe.”
Wentworth and his colleagues are advocating for a better policy and approach to caring for this vital portion of the population.
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