Department Of Health And Human Services Increases Protection Of Nursing Home Staff And Residents

In the state’s ongoing efforts to protect nursing home residents and staff, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services has issued an order, requiring regular testing, and more timely and accurate reporting of deaths, cases and shortages of personal protective equipment and staff.

Director Robert Gordon said they’re doing everything in their power to protect nursing home facility residents through mandatory testing, support for adequate staffing and new efforts at infection control.

The new order requires all staff and residents be tested, all new or returning residents to be tested during intake, or within 72 hours of intake, testing of any staff or resident with symptoms or suspected of exposure to COVID-19 and weekly testing of all previously negative staff and residents, if there’s a new case, until 14 days after the last new positive result.