Capitol News

Senator Michael Webber has voiced strong criticism of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) following the release of an audit by the Office of the Auditor General. The audit, published Tuesday, found that MDHHS failed to adequately protect the rights of mental health care patients in state facilities.

“The more we learn about Michigan’s inpatient psychiatric care, the worse it gets,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills. “Today, the state auditor confirms what patients and parents have been telling me repeatedly since I requested this audit in July 2023. It is very clear that the Office of Recipient Rights, under MDHHS leadership, is failing to protect our most vulnerable seeking mental health care.”

According to findings from the auditor's report, nearly 30% of sampled complaints regarding abuse, neglect, serious injury or death were not addressed until two to twelve days after being filed. The average response time was six days despite internal guidelines calling for action within 24 hours. Additionally, over 10% of complaints lacked a date stamp from the Office of Recipient Rights (ORR), making it impossible to determine if they were handled promptly.

The report also noted that video surveillance and audio recording equipment at Michigan’s five state psychiatric hospitals were frequently missing or not functioning. In more than 40% of reviewed investigations, such evidence could have aided or supported conclusions drawn by ORR staff. Furthermore, there was no process in place for ORR to monitor incident reports from these hospitals—potentially allowing rights violations to go undetected or unreported.

Webber called for this audit after hearing accounts from former patients and families affected by conditions at state-run psychiatric centers such as Hawthorn Center. He has introduced legislation aimed at improving patient rights and oversight in these institutions and advocated for legislative hearings on these issues.

In October 2024, MDHHS agreed to pay $13 million as part of a settlement with a group including patients and employees who experienced trauma during an active shooter drill at Hawthorn Center in December 2022. Earlier this year, a mother filed a $100 million lawsuit related to her child’s beating while he was a patient at Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital.

“The audit sheds light on why recipient rights complaints were going unanswered and that the department failed to properly investigate claims of abuse, neglect or even death in a timely manner,” Webber said. “In nearly half of the cases reviewed, video cameras that could have provided the truth weren’t functioning. There is an immediate need for stronger oversight and accountability by this Legislature for those at MDHHS who are charged with protecting our most vulnerable patients seeking psychiatric care.”