65%
OCCUPANCY IN ONE HOSPITAL.
HOLLAND HOSPITAL IS THAT 80%
OCCUPANCY.
BRIAN: BEHIND THE DAILY STATS, A
CLOSER LOOK SHOWS THE BRUNT OF
THIS PANDEMIC HAS BEEN HELD
INSIDE THE WALLS OF OUR STATES
NURSING HOMES.
SUSAN: TONIGHT, WE
ARE LEARNING
ABOUT CONDITIONS INSIDE WEST
MICHIGAN'S DEADLIEST BUT.
-- DEADLIEST
SPOT.
THE LODGE IN GRAND RAPIDS.
31 PEOPLE HAVE DIED, RECORDS
SHOW.
BRIAN: OUR INVESTIGATOR IS
LEARNING THE HOME RANKS AS ONE
OF THE WORST FOR COVID PATIENCE
IN THE U.S.
--
PATIENTS IN THE U.S.
IT GOT SO BAD, WORKERS
WORE
BLESSED BAGS BECAUSE THEY DID
NOT HAVE ENOUGH GOWNS.
THOSE WHO LOST RELATIVES WONDER
WHY SO MANY HAVE DEAD.
THE STATE IS ASKING THE SAME
QUESTION.
THIS IS THE GREATEST
SPECTACLE IN RACING.
THIS FAMILY EXPECTED THEIR
LOVED ONE TO LIVE LONG, MAYBE
LONG ENOUGH TO WATCH ONE MORE
INDY 500 RACE ON TV.
THAT IS HIM IN THE CHECKERED
SOCKS.
HE HAD GONE TO THE RACE 68
STRAIGHT YEARS.
A STREAK BROKEN A FEW YEARS BACK
ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS AGE.
WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE
GOT THIS SO QUICKLY AND DIED.
REPORTER: THE 86-YEAR-OLD
GREAT-GRANDFATHER AND
ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT WHO LIVED IN
A PRIVATE ROOM IN THE SLUDGE
ONSE -- IN THIS LODGE ON 32ND
STREET DIED FROM COVID-19
PNEUMONIA FIVE DAYS AFTER HE AND
HIS WIFE HAD CELEBRATED THEIR
61ST ANNIVERSARY BY VIDEO CHAT.
IT UPSETS ME.
MY DAUGHTER IS VERY UPSET.
SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIM.
IT IS VERY HURTFUL HE HAD TO GO
THIS WAY.
MAYBE IT COULD HAVE BEEN
PREVENTED.
REPORTER: HER FATHER IS AMONG 31
LODGE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE DIED
COVID RELATED DEATHS.
WHEN YOU HEARD THERE WERE MORE
THAN 30 --
I WAS SHOCKED.
NOT SURPRISED, BUT SHOCKED.
REPORTER: 76 RESIDENTS HAVE
TESTED POSITIVE ALONG WITH 24
WORKERS.
SOME IN THE LAST FEW DAYS.
THE DEATHS WERE REPORTED AS
EARLY AS JUNE.
I WOULD HAVE TRIED TO
FIND A
WAY TO GET THEM OUT OF THERE AND
BRING HIM HOME UNTIL IT WAS
OVER.
ID. DID NOT KNOW IT WAS THAT
SEVERE.
-- I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS THAT
SEVERE.
REPORTER: THE LODGE RANKS
SIXTH
FOR DEATH AMONG THE STATE'S
NURSING HOMES.
THAT IS VERY CONCERNING.
THAT IS NOT A BIG FACILITY.
REPORTER:
31 COVID DEATHS, 125
BEDS.
A 1-4 RATIO.
IF YOU HAD TO SEND A LOVED
ONE TO A NURSING HOME, WOULD YOU
CHOOSE ONE THAT HAS HAD 31 COVID
DEATHS?
NO, I WOULD NOT.
I WOULD QUIT MY JOB AND STAY
HOME IF I HAD TO.
I WOULD NOT DO THAT.
REPORTER: THE DIRECTOR OF AARP
OF MICHIGAN SHOWS THE DEATHS --
SAYS THAT DEATHS SHOW A NEED FOR
IMMEDIATE CHANGE.
PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY DYING
WHILE WE ARE FIGURING THIS OUT.
THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
REPORTER: IT IS NOT CLEAR WHY
COVID HIT THIS LODGE SO
HARD.
INSPECTION REPORTS SHOW 50
VIOLATIONS OVER THE LAST THREE
YEARS, INCLUDING 4 FOR INFECTION
CONTROL IN MORE THAN $38,000 IN
FINES.
THE STATE SAYS IT SENT A TEAM OF
INSPECTIONS TO THE HOME LAST
WEEK TO INVESTIGATE.
A REPORT ON FINDINGS WAS NOT
AVAILABLE.
THE FEDS REQUIRE THE
INSPECTION OF NURSING HOMES WHEN
COVID CASES REACH CERTAIN
LEVELS, INCLUDING 10 OR MORE
DEATHS.
80 HOMES HAVE HIT THAT MARK.
MOST NEAR DETROIT.
NEARLY A THIRD OF THE DEATHS IN
MICHIGAN RELATED TO COVID HAVE
COME FROM NURSING HOMES.
THEY ARE VERY ALARMING.
IT IS ONE AREA I DON'T THINK
ANYONE IN THE NATION HAS
COMPLETELY FIGURED OUT YET IN
TERMS OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGY
OR BEST STRATEGY FOR NURSING
HOMES.
REPORTER: THE MICHIGAN AARP
DIRECTOR QUESTIONS WHETHER HARD
HIT NURSING HOMES ARE DOING
ENOUGH TO CONTROL INFECTIONS.
WE ARE HEARING THAT NURSING
HOMES STILL SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE
THE PROPER PPE FOR THEIR STAFF
AND/OR THEIR PATIENTS.
REPORTER: THE STATE'S LONG-TERM
CARE OMBUDSMAN CONFIRMED THAT
THE HOME USED TRASH BAGS AS
GOWNS FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION
FOR A TIME.
IF THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE, THAT
IS ALL YOU HAVE.
I GUESS I HAVE TO APPRECIATE THE
FACT THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO
WHAT THEY
COULD WITH WHAT
THEY HAD AVAILABLE.
REPORTER: THE RESIDENTS WHO WERE
WONDERING WHY SO MANY HAVE DIED
OF COVID-19 HERE SAY --
WE ARE HARD PRESSED TO SAY
THAT THIS IS THE REASON.
THAT IS GOING TO
BE A FANTASY.
-- A THING TO SEE.
WAS THERE A FAILURE IN THAT.
REPORTER: IT COULD ALSO BE THE
NUMBER OF PATIENTS AT THE LODGE.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED THEM TO
WASH THEIR HANDS.
REPORTER: IN A STATEMENT,
NURSING HOME OFFICIALS SAID THEY
FOLLOWED ALL COVID-19
GUIDELINES, FEDERAL AND STATE.
THE HOME REPLACED AN
ADMINISTRATOR IN THE DIRECTOR --
AND THE DIRECTOR OF NURSING.
THE MOVES HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
QUALITY OF CARE.
A SOURCE AT THE HOME SAYS IT
RECENTLY STARTED MANDATORY
WEEKLY COVID TESTING FOR
RESIDENTS AND STAFF.
THE SOURCE SAYS THE HOMES HAVE
EMPTIED AFTER THEY SET MOST
COVID PATIENTS TO STATE
SANCTIONED CENTERS.
THE DAUGHTER OF THIS COVID
VICTIM STILL CANNOT UNDERSTAND
HOW HE CAUGHT IT.
HE WAS IN A PRIVATE ROOM AND
COULD NOT GET AROUND ON HIS OWN.
THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE'S
OPINIONS ARE.
HE WAS IN A NURSING HOME.
HE WAS OLD.
IT DOES NOT DIMINISH HIS LIFE
THAT HE WAS IN A NURSING HOME.
SUSAN:
THE GOVERNOR HAS CREATED
A NURSING HOME COVID TASK FORCE
WITH A DEADLINE OF AUGUST 31 FOR
RECOMMENDED CHANGES.
BRIAN: WITHIN THE PAST HOUR, THE
LODGE SENT US A FOLLOW-UP
STATEMENT ADDING MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SITUATION
AT THE NURSING HOME.
"WHEN SEVERAL RESIDENTS TESTED
POSITIVE CONCURRENTLY, WE
RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO ISOLATE
AND QUARANTINE FOR SAFETY AND
TRANSPORTED SEVERAL RESIDENTS TO
GO BUT SPECIFIC HUBS, AS
DIRECTED BY THE STATE OF
MICHIGAN."
SUSAN: THE STATEMENT EXPLAINS
POSITIVE RESIDENTS PASSED AWAY
WHILE IN THEIR CARE AT THE
LODGE, HAVE FOR HOSPICE
RESIDENTS.
5 PAST THE WAY OF THE HOSPITAL.
AN ADDITIONAL 13 RESIDENTS
EXPIRED AFTER BEING ADMITTED TO
THE HUB-SKILLED NURSING
FACILITY.
BECAUSE OF STATE REQUIREMENTS,
THOSE DEATHS WERE ALL ATTRIBUTED
TO THE LAUNCH.
BRIAN: CONTINUING ON -- TO THE
LODGE.
BRIAN: CONTINUING ON, WE ARE
WORKING TO MITIGATE ANY FURTHER
SPREAD WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANT TO WISH OR RESIDENTS,
FAMILIES, STAFF, AND THE
COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT WILL
CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO REMAIN TRANSPARENT AND
PROVIDE THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE
FOR A RESIDENCE UNDER THESE VERY