Michigan health officials have issued an epidemic order that requires nursing homes to offer on-site doses of the COVID vaccine to their residents.

Michigan’s Auditor General’s Office announced it would study the reported and unreported deaths in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Questions are still being asked about COVID-19 care in Michigan’s nursing homes.

Michigan officials are ramping up COVID-19 testing at nursing homes, schools and airports as the number of cases spreading throughout the state continues to rise. More than 72,000 free tests have been conducted at neighborhood testing sites in socially vulnerable communities and continue to provide testing . Free post-spring break testing pop-up sites are planned for school districts in 34 communities. Testing sites at welcome centers and Michigan airports are in the works for returning travelers. Vaccine providers with the capacity to vaccinate all individuals ages 16 years and older are allowed do so at this time, state officials said.

LANSING, Mich. – Allegations that New York intentionally manipulated data regarding COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes has led Republicans to demand an investigation in Michigan, where Gov. More: How many COVID-related deaths occurred in Michigan nursing homes? INVESTIGATIONSIn New York, state Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating nursing homes based on neglect allegations and noncompliance with infection-control protocols. Most nursing homes are privately owned. He also referenced 34 county-owned nursing homes with 93 COVID-19 deaths.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office is looking into requests to investigate the state’s COVID-19 nursing home policies. Whitmer announces nursing home visitation to resume in MichiganOnly eight representatives left their names off the letter, including House Speaker Jason Wentworth. Another 11 republicans signed onto the campaign to impeach Whitmer or force her to resign over the policy. READ: Michigan lawmakers hold hearing, seek answers about nursing home deaths amid pandemicThe centers for Medicaid, Medicare and the AARP have been calling for Whitmer to release all the state data on nursing home deaths. READ: Tracking COVID-19 cases, deaths in Michigan long term care facilities, nursing homes

LANSING, Mich. – Over the past seven weeks, there’s been a decline in key metrics determining where we are with the pandemic. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday that visitation at nursing homes will resume. READ: 12 takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID briefing: Michigan restrictions loosenedAd“Under the new guidelines, family members will be able to go and visit their relatives in nursing homes after receiving a negative COVID-19 test,” Whitmer added. “We want people to be able to visit their family in the nursing homes, and we know that our businesses are doing their part to make their establishments as safe as they can,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. So far the state of Michigan has vaccinated more than 2 million residents.

Here is Michigan’s March 2, 2021 updates to its “Requirements for Residential Care Facilities Rescission” epidemic order. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced the update to this order on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. It’s official title is: Emergency Order under MCL 333.2253 – Requirements for Residential Care Facilities Rescission of December 8, 2020 Order -- March 2, 2021″View here: MCL 333.2253This order is effective immediately. There is no expiration date offered.

The hearing was initially meant to probe whether the state’s nursing home policy designated them as “hubs” for COVID patients. Andrew Cuomo’s administration was found to have been undercounting certain types of COVID deaths among nursing home patients, effectively lowering the number of deaths attributed to virus spread in nursing homes. State numbers show that a higher number of deaths: just over 5,500 residents in long-term care facilities have reportedly died from the virus. There has been no evidence, however, that Michigan is undercounting or underreporting long-term care COVID deaths. The plan was also backed by medical experts at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, the CDC and AARP, among others over the course of the pandemic.

Seniors living in Metro Detroit nursing homes have often felt isolated, lonely and scared during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Motor City Lyric Opera is working to make life a little better for those residents. “We’re going to make sure that their mental mind is OK, and that they’re physically OK.”There’s been an outpouring of kindness in the community to make sure nursing home residents know they’re not forgotten. The world-renowned musicians decided to create two musical concerns for senior communities to show their residents. Motor City Lyric Opera is encouraging other senior living communities to enjoy their performance, too.

Gretchen Whitmer spoke more about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its affect on the state, including changes to her policies on nursing homes, communal meals and activities. Now, Whitmer wants those patients to be put into newly classified care and recovery centers -- nursing homes with higher quality ratings. At the same time, she’s loosening some of the communal meals and activities restrictions, as long as they are socially distanced. Whitmer extended the $1 million per month least through the end of the year, even though few patients were sent there. “We need to have some plan in the event we start to see a climb again," Whitmer said.

Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday to extend protection for residents and staff members at long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic. “From day one, I have taken action to protect both seniors and staff in long-term care facilities from COVID-19. “That’s why we have been working around the clock to protect our seniors and aggressively following CDC guidance to limit the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. I signed an order months ago requiring testing for all residents and staff and new residents, and my administration has helped get nursing homes thousands of tests. According to the press release, the centers “will be care units dedicated exclusively to caring for and isolating COVID-19-affected residents.”The order also requires nursing homes to inform legal guardians or health proxies of residents or employees testing positive.

LANSING, Mich. – Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Michigan can start seeing visitors outdoors Tuesday as a new order goes into effect. An order signed last week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will allow an exception to Gov. The new order, which goes into effect Tuesday (Sept. 15), will allow outdoor visitation as long as certain COVID-19 safety guidelines are followed. “The Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program welcomes this cautious step forward to allow outdoor visits with residents of long-term care facilities,” said Salli Pung, the program ombudsman. MDHHS previously eased visitation restrictions for residential care facilities in an emergency order issued June 30.

Michiganders who lost loved ones in nursing homes during COVID-19 pandemic demand answersPublished: September 8, 2020, 5:48 pmMichigan residents who lost loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic say the system failed them, and they’re demanding answers.

Michigan residents who lost loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic say the system failed them, and theyre demanding answers. Nearly two weeks ago, the Department of Justice requested the state of Michigan hand over information about how it handled COVID-19 cases in nursing homes. According to the Department of Justice, Michigans orders might have resulted in thousands of deaths elderly people in nursing homes. But Michigan families are growing angrier as they struggle to get the answers theyre looking for. Families are also frustrated that the nursing homes have immunity from lawsuits related to COVID-19, she said.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed two new executive orders on Saturday that extend protections for frontline workers at grocery stores, pharmacies and long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of the new orders, 2020-178, focuses on protecting customers and staff members at grocery stores and pharmacies. Frontline workers in our hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes, and more have put their own lives on the line to protect our families,” Whitmer said. Still, the governor’s office says that this week Whitmer is reviewing recommendations made by the state’s Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force and will implement any changes following her review. The executive orders signed Saturday are extensions of previous executive orders Whitmer enacted at the beginning of the pandemic -- which were most recently extended on August 10 and were slated to expire on September 7.

Gretchen Whitmer for Michigan nursing home data linked to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as part of an effort to find out if the state’s response warrants a federal investigation. Officials want to find out if state orders requiring nursing homes to admit COVID-19 positive patients are responsible for the deaths of residents. The Civil Rights Division is considering an investigation into whether nursing home residents had their rights violated. MORE: Michigan lawmaker calls COVID-19 nursing home policy ‘most idiotic thing we could come up with’Finally, it asks for the number of people who were admitted to public nursing homes after they had already tested positive for COVID-19. Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania required nursing homes to admit COVID-19 positive patients and received letters from the Justice Department.

DETROIT – Around 1,600 Detroit nursing home workers are set to go on strike later this month due to concerns about the safety of residents during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Workers are planning to go on strike Aug. 17, more than five months into the pandemic. “Nursing home owners failed to prepare for this virus before it arrived and failed to protect us once it was here. By going on strike, I’m not just fighting on behalf of nursing home workers. I’m fighting for my residents, too.”Striking workers in Detroit plan to draw attention to racial disparities inherent to the nursing home crisis.

FORT GRATIOT TOWNSHIP, Mich. A Port Huron man took a job at a nursing home so he could see his wife of 62 years after they were separated for four months by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Larry and Carol Burnett have been married for 62 years, but he was separated from her when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. For the past two years, Carol has lived at Regency on the Lake, a care home in Fort Gratiot Township near Port Huron. You know, after 62 years, it was almost like we were one person.When the pandemic hit, all visitors, including Larry, were shut out. Sandra Ball, the activities director for Regency on the Lake, had an idea involving an open part-time job.

DETROIT Nursing homes have been hit hardest by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Michigan and around the country. Whitmer admits flaws in controversial COVID-19 nursing home policyThe biggest failure in the U.S. has been not helping people in nursing homes, said Arthur Caplan, the head of the Medical Ethics Division at New York University. MORE: Michigan lawmakers demand Whitmer stop placing COVID-19 patients in nursing homesIn Massachusetts, my own mom died, he said. It was pretty sad.He said nursing homes just arent designed in a way to provide adequate safety during an outbreak. Gretchen Whitmer ordered all nursing home staff and residents to be tested for the coronavirus.

Gretchen Whitmers nursing home policy, which commingles patients who test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) with healthy residents. READ: Whitmer defends nursing home policyOn Thursday, members of the Michigan House and Senate passed resolutions calling on Whitmer to end her policy. During Thursdays hearing, Dr. Rebecca Cope spoke with the Senate Health Policy Committee about this topic. Officials with the Michigan Health Department said more than one-third of the states nearly 6,000 coronavirus deaths came from nursing homes. Lucidos bill looks to end regional hubs and prevent COVID-19 patients from entering nursing homes.

Gretchen Whitmer is continuing to defend her policy that places patients who test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in nursing homes with healthy residents. Officials with the Michigan Health Department said more than one-third of the states nearly 6,000 coronavirus deaths came from nursing homes. READ: Heres everything thats reopening this week in MichiganFlorida, which has a much larger senior population, decided not to commingle COVID-19 positive patients with COVID-19 negative seniors. He now has a bill that would keep the positive patients out of Michigan nursing homes. Lucido wants Whitmer to dedicate one facility for recovering COVID-19 patients.

Gretchen Whitmer change the controversial policy that puts coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in nursing homes with healthy residents. MORE: Whitmer admits flaws in controversial COVID-19 nursing home policyStates such as New York have already reversed their similar policies, and lawmakers want to know why Michigan hasnt done so. The state of Michigan is spending about $40,000 each day to convert the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. But the field hospital hasnt been used for nursing home patients, and House Republicans are wondering why. But the argument is that thats often not possible, and there are still COVID-19 positive patients in the same facilities.

Gretchen Whitmer has admitted there are flaws in her controversial plan to put positive and negative coronavirus (COVID-19) patients together in the same nursing homes. MORE: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 nursing home data by county, facilityThe daughter of one nursing home patient told Local 4 she was watching Monday as Whitmer answered questions about whether she had any regrets with her policy. Carlsons mother, Esther May Gordon, is 87 years old and lives in a Southeast Michigan nursing home that accepts COVID-19 positive patients, Carlson said. Im terrified she is going to get COVID-19 and Im never going to see her again, Carlson said. Carlson wants Whitmer to find a separate facility for COVID-19 positive patients, but thats not something the governor has suggested she is looking into.

LANSING, Mich. A Michigan lawmaker whose mother has now tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) said Gov. Gretchen Whitmers controversial nursing home policy that puts infected patients in the same facilities as negative patients is the most idiotic thing we could come up with.Lawmakers are demanding changes to the policy, which was adopted early in the pandemic. The Senate Oversight Committee still wants more accountability and transparency from the Whitmer administration when it comes to COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Chief Robert Gordon, of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the governor backed off on some nursing home requirements that put positive patients in the same facilities as COVID-19 negative patients. Its negligent to allow it to continue, but its intentional now at this point.Lucido has proposed legislation to prevent COVID-19 positive patients from being housed in the same facilities as COVID-19 negative patients.

Gretchen Whitmers contested executive order concerning nursing homes and the coronavirus (COVID-19) expires Wednesday night, and she signaled that shes considering a major change to the current policy. Officials said there was a mad scramble inside Michigans nursing homes and the regional hubs where the COVID-19 positive patients went. There have been no mandates from the state that the nursing homes must take COVID-19 positive patients.Instead, the state gave homes $5,000 per patient. The oversight committee is anxious to see what Whitmer does with the new nursing home order. Members are still looking for solid numbers on how many Michiganders died in nursing homes.