LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michael Webber on Tuesday sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services requesting a public hearing take place to consider bills addressing growing concerns over patient rights and oversight at state-run psychiatric hospitals.
“These bills would provide commonsense solutions and first steps for the Legislature to begin to address the serious concerns that have surfaced over patient care in our state psychiatric care hospitals, particularly for minors placed in the state’s care,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills. “My office has been working to address distressing issues raised by patients and families whose loved ones have been treated at the Hawthorn Center or Walter Reuther care facilities. It has become clear that more independent oversight and transparency are needed within the department responsible for serving vulnerable Michigan residents who rely on these hospitals for vital care.”
Senate Bill 1048, sponsored by Webber, would prohibit any Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) executive office staff from being appointed to or serving on the state’s Recipient Rights Advisory Committee and add representatives from Disability Rights Michigan, Mental Health Association in Michigan, and Arc Michigan as permanent standing members.
SB 1049, sponsored by Sen. Rick Outman, R-Six Lakes, would require hospitals to give voluntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients written notice of their rights. Hospitals already are required to give involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients written notice of their rights. However, the same is not true for patients who sign paperwork agreeing to formal, voluntary admission.
“We share the common goal of protecting patient rights and increasing oversight in state government,” Webber wrote in his letter to Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services Chair Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor.
Recent incidents highlight the need for reform. In October, MDHHS agreed to pay a $13 million settlement to a dozen patients and employees traumatized during an ill-advised and poorly executed active shooter drill that took place at the former Hawthorn Center in December 2022. In February, a mother filed a $100 million lawsuit over the beating of her 10-year-old child while he was a resident at Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital.
Webber has advocated for legislative hearings and hosted a listening session with former patients and parents about concerns over care and safety at state-run psychiatric hospitals. The state Office of the Auditor General has also begun its independent investigation into how the Office of Recipient Rights handles allegations at state-run psychiatric hospitals, following a request initiated by Webber.