Hospitals & Politics | March 2022 Issue Brief 2

​Political News by McLaren’s Government Relations Team

Welcome back to Hospital & Politics. Periodically, your Government Relations team will provide updates regarding Lansing and Washington D.C. hospital related news. In this issue our focus is on the health care supplemental that was signed into law by Governor Whitmer in February. As of current, the department is still shifting through getting funds out the door. However, we look forward to seeing the benefits this health care supplemental has for hospitals, nursing homes, and the general health of our Michiganders.

​The pandemic brought to light many issues we knew were occurring before 2020. These issues include the need to expand mental health services, address health care worker shortages, and streamline government oversight and regulations. This supplemental is just one of the few priorities the legislature has placed for our health care systems and we look forward to continuing to advocate for not only McLaren Heath Care, but all hospitals that are fighting through the challenges the pandemic brought to light. 
As the year goes on, some articles will be specifically focused on one piece of policy or one concept of political hospital news. If you would like to see anything specific in these newsletters, please do not hesitate to reach out to Allisyn Mattice-Eskau. ​

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​Michigan’s Healthcare Supplemental

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association, along with your government affairs team, was able to secure an enormous supplemental that was signed into law on February 17th. The supplemental provides $1.2 billion in federal American Rescue Plan & COVID-19 funds for healthcare entities, patients, and state-owned systems. Currently, the department is shifting through how best to disperse the funds but we should expect funds to start coming out the door this April. 


HealthCare Shortage Assistance
The legislature and Governor approved $300M for hospitals to recruit, retain, and train health care employees. There are a few necessary requirements and as of the end of March, funds have not been dispersed. However, this is a great leap for Michigan’s hospital systems in attacking the health care shortage. Data from our Michigan Hospital Association show 48,290 open positions in hospitals across the state. The average turnover rate is 27% and approximately 201 individuals leave healthcare monthly; however, an average of 207 individuals are being hired monthly. This monetary aid will help recruit in the short term while keeping health care workers in the long run.


State-Owned Laboratory
The supplemental includes $10M to develop a new comprehensive state public health and environmental science laboratory. The Department of Health and Human Services will be required to submit its planning documents and program statements to a committee within the budget process known as Capital Outlay. These documents must consider existing state-owned labs and potential expansions of those labs or existing state-owned buildings. 


Education
The supplemental includes a $250,000 competitive grant program to ISDs or school districts for 9-12 grade students to take part in work-based learning health services academies. These partnerships will be with the Nation Academy Foundation (NAFs). The goal of this project is to foster career ready high school students through the NAF partnerships. Furthermore, $14.9M is granted to aid schools in testing for COVID-19 in all its school personnel and students. It specifically allows these tests to be utilized for students playing sports. Further, $4M of COVID funds are going to Wayne State to create mobile health programs to address health disparities and those with limited access in the Southeast region of Michigan. 


Additional Support
There are numerous dollars to continue establishing COVID-19 testing sites and disbursement sites for treatment. Nursing homes also receive numerous assistances in this supplemental with $29M for operational repairs, $5M to comply with federal respiratory protection standards, $10M for rooms to be converted into single-use rooms, and $20M for respite services completed by family members. Additionally, $10M was provided in the budget as a grant program for ultraviolent control technology filtration and cleaning systems in applicable hospitals. All hospitals and providers will benefit from the $14M for the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan to help implement chronic kidney disease prevention and an additional $54.1M to educate and reach individuals for the COVID-19 vaccination through local health departments.