News

Salli Pung, Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman, quoted in The Center Square article: "Nursing home leaders plead for more interaction"

Tue, 09/15/2020

Salli Pung, the state long-term care ombudsman, said complaints to her office nearly doubled from this time last year. Close to half of the 2,600 calls were about visitation and isolation complaints.

Salli Pung, Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman, comments in WMMT-3's segment: "New order: Residential care facility residents can see loved ones for first time in months"

Tue, 09/15/2020

“The Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program welcomes this cautious step forward to allow outdoor visits with residents of long-term care facilities,” Salli Pung, the program ombudsman, said. “We also appreciate residents will now have access to medical and non-medical services that many residents have not received for nearly six months. By promoting these vital and basic visits and services, long term care facilities can better ensure and address residents' quality of life.”

Jamie Hochman Herz, Legal Counsel to the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, comments in WZZM 13/ABC's report: "Cease and desist letters sent to 11 Michigan nursing homes for charging $900 COVID-19 fee"

Thu, 09/10/2020

Jamie Hochman Herz is counsel to the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. She says typically when a nursing facility wants to increase the cost of living, they must provide residents with 30 days notice.

Salli Pung, Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman, comments in NBC 25 News' segment: "New MDHHS order will allow outdoor visits at nursing homes & residential facilities"

Thu, 09/10/2020

“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. “We also appreciate residents will now have access to medical and non-medical services that many residents have not received for nearly six months. By promoting these vital and basic visits and services, long term care facilities can better ensure and address residents' quality of life.”

Salli Pung, Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman, Comments in the Iosco County News-Herald's: "COVID-19 likely spreading in nursing homes through residents and staff, expert says"

Thu, 08/20/2020

“We also know that nursing homes, homes for the aged, adult foster care, and other non-licensed assisted living settings were not a priority for much needed PPE,” Pung told The Center Square in an email. “Several of those settings are still struggling to acquire adequate PPE to protect residents and staff from COVID-19.”

Alison Hirschel, Managing Attorney of Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, and Salli Pung, State Long Term Care Ombudsman, comment in the Bridge's: "Michigan families fight to see seniors amid COVID-19, even in hospice care"

Mon, 08/10/2020

Some facilities have begun allowing visits, empowered by the discretion offered in guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on June 30, said Alison Hirschel, director of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative.

Salli Pung, State Long Term Care Ombudsman, in Bridge article: "What do you want? she asked her hubby in MI nursing home. 'You," he said."

Mon, 08/10/2020

“We've heard some residents say the staff don't even have time to talk to them.

Alison Hirschel, Managing Attorney of Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, comments on Michigan Radio's piece: "Attorney General Dana Nessel to increase oversight of long-term care facilities"

Fri, 08/07/2020

Alison Hirschel, managing attorney for the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, says she’s heard that workers and management at some facilities are not following these rules and acting as though COVID-19 were no longer a threat.

Alison Hirschel, Managing Attorney of Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, on Michigan Radio's: "Michigan House passes bill that would create separate facilities for recovering COVID-19 patients"

Wed, 07/22/2020

In a Tuesday hearing that examined Lucido’s bill, he and other committee members heard testimony from Alison Hirschel, who’s managing attorney at the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative.

She said that while the folks at her organization are “deeply appreciative of the Legislature’s concern for nursing home residents,” they can’t support the bill without more information about how these new facilities would be staffed, and how frail residents would be protected during the potentially traumatic transfer from one facility to another.

Salli Pung, Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman, Quoted in Bridge Magazine's: "Here's what Michigan nursing homes that escaped coronavirus did right"

Mon, 07/20/2020

In an email to Bridge, Salli Pung, Michigan’s long-term care ombudsman, said that the size of a facility, chain or non-profit ownership, previous Medicare ratings and payment sources for care did not distinguish nursing homes with COVID-19 from those without it. In other words, broadly speaking, big facilities with large Medicaid populations, 5-star ratings from Medicare and chain ownership fared roughly the same against the virus as others.

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