Bridge Michigan and the Associated Press reported Jan. 5, 2026, that abuse, neglect and related violations are common in Michigan nursing homes, and that the state’s oversight system has not prevented many of them. The reporting highlighted a case in September 2022 involving Lorena Brown, a 68-year-old resident at SKLD Muskegon, where an inspection report described multiple missed opportunities to provide help.
Brown gasped for air on Sept. 12, 2022, turning blue, according to the inspection report referenced in the story. A roommate called for help from a nurse. The report, based on interviews with Brown’s roommates and staffers, said the response was, “Mind your own business.” The roommate then scooped vomit from Brown’s mouth using a washcloth while begging again for help, the inspection report said. The story said no help came and Brown died, according to the inspection report and other public documents.
The investigation placed Brown’s death within a broader pattern it described across Michigan facilities. It said nearly three dozen residents died of suspected neglect or abuse in the past four years. Bridge Michigan’s review examined more than 3,100 state and federal inspection records and court documents, and it documented at least 5,915 cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation or quality-of-life and care violations among 15,471 total citations for violations ranging from incomplete paperwork to poor care. It reported that homes have been fined $21.5 million over the past three years and that they have been denied a total of 6,451 days of Medicaid reimbursements.
The story said the citations describe severe staffing shortages and conditions including mold and gnats, odors of human waste, filth, rodents, flies, isolation and inactivity. Advocates said those documented conditions underscore failures in Michigan’s safety net, which they said were exposed by Brown’s death. The story also said the administrator did not call police or report the “sudden and unexpected death” nor the “allegation of neglect” to the state, and that a nurse continued to work until state inspectors received a complaint and began an inquiry.
The investigation also included a policy-focused review, saying Bridge Michigan spent four months examining Michigan nursing home policies and practices, reviewing more than 45,000 pages of inspection reports, submitting dozens of public records requests, reviewing more than 30 death certificates, and speaking to nearly 100 family members, current and former staff, administrators and others.
Bridge Michigan said the state requires little staffing, mandating two hours and 15 minutes of care each day for each resident—far below the more than four hours a day advocates said is needed. The story said staffing varies widely, from the minimum up to seven hours a day in a small number of facilities. It also said Michigan has some of the lowest training standards for nurse aides, at about 100 hours, and compared that with Michigan’s requirements of 400 hours of training for manicurists and 1,800 hours for barbers. Bridge Michigan further reported that Michigan has a $35 million fund designed to improve care, but that administrators say rules and bureaucracy make it nearly impossible to use.
The investigation said public reporting is also limited in ways families