<\/p>\n
By The Center Square Staff
\nJust the News<\/p>\n
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff has reached a settlement with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to gain access to data on\u00a0the number of COVID-19 nursing home deaths in the state.<\/p>\n
The health department agreed to release some of the public records LeDuff requested. The department also acknowledges it can\u2019t determine if some patients killed by COVID-19 contracted the virus at a nursing home or other long-term care facility.<\/p>\n
LeDuff sued March 9 after submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for data on COVID-19 deaths but the MDHHS failed to produce the requested records. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation represented him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stood up to Goliath and won,\u201d LeDuff said in a statement. \u201cWhile I’m pleased that some of the records were released, the state’s overall response is alarming and disappointing. Still, this is a win for the people of Michigan, and I’m glad this lawsuit was able to shed some light.\u201d<\/p>\n
MDHHS has now provided records for the ages and death dates of the COVID-19 victims, but inadequate tracking meant the department couldn\u2019t provide the dates when a specific vital record death was added to the state\u2019s tally, or whether the deceased contracted COVID-19 at a long-term care facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful for the opportunity to assist Mr. LeDuff in resolving this case, and we are glad that MDHHS chose to produce this data without further litigation,\u201d Mackinac Center\u2019s FOIA expert Steve Delie said. \u201cGovernment transparency is essential, particularly during a pandemic, and we will continue to represent individuals like Mr. LeDuff to ensure the public has full and complete access to records.\u201d<\/p>\n
LeDuff plans to continue looking into the accuracy of the state\u2019s COVID-19 death data.<\/p>\n
Michigan Republicans have accused Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of\u00a0botching<\/a>\u00a0COVID-19 nursing home policy by sending infected seniors into nursing homes, spreading the disease to the most vulnerable population. About\u00a05,645<\/a>\u00a0nursing home residents died and 77 staff members died of COVID-19.<\/p>\n \u201cThis data is an essential part of accurately understanding the effects of this pandemic and the public policy implemented in response,\u201d Delie said. \u201cIt also leaves open the possibility that the state is undercounting the number of deaths of those in nursing homes.\u201d<\/p>\n