Capitol News

Senator Michael Webber has called for legislative hearings to address concerns about the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) after an independent audit found the department was not adequately protecting the rights of mental health care patients.

Webber sent formal requests to Senate Oversight Committee Chair Sam Singh and House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer, seeking hearings in response to a report released by the state Office of the Auditor General on September 30. The report identified significant shortcomings within the Office of Recipient Rights, which is responsible for safeguarding the rights of individuals receiving public mental health services.

“The auditor general’s report confirmed what patients and their loved ones have been telling us for months and years. Michigan’s inpatient psychiatric care system is broken, and the department is not following current law or its own policies to protect psychiatric patient rights,” said Webber.

The audit detailed issues such as recipient rights complaints going unanswered, malfunctioning or missing video surveillance equipment in state psychiatric hospitals, and delays in investigating serious allegations.

“The more we learn, the worse it gets,” Webber stated. “The complaint system and department management need to be heavily scrutinized by this Legislature to understand the full impact of these stark findings. Michigan residents deserve a better patient protection system.”