State Rep. Ben Frederick and the Michigan House today approved a bipartisan plan to protect seniors in Michigan nursing homes while improving their quality of life.

Frederick, of Owosso, said the plan implements recommendations made by the Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force, which underscored a variety of deficiencies in ongoing state-mandated nursing home policies. Frederick’s main focus centered on restoring safe visitation options for families. Under the legislation, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is required to implement visitation policies no later than Nov. 15.

“The seniors in our nursing homes have been isolated for too long, and the health and wellness consequences are too great to continue keeping them from seeing their loved ones,” Frederick said. “That’s why this plan prompts the state to implement long-overdue, safe indoor visitation policies for Michigan nursing homes.”