A lawmaker is sending a message to Michigan health officials, asking for someone to fix what is wrong at the state’s only mental health hospital for children.
On Thursday, Sen. Michael Webber sent a letter to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services director Elizabeth Hertel describing concerns over if patients are receiving appropriate care.
“I have continued to investigate your department’s management of our state hospital system. The deeper I look, the worse it gets -- patient escapes, an unannounced active shooter drill, violent attacks, settled lawsuits, serious concerns over nutritional support, and recipient rights complaints going unanswered,” Webber wrote.
---> Find more coverage about the Hawthorn Center here.
Local 4 first exposed the issues going on at the Hawthorn Center over two years ago.
An active shooter drill inside the state-run hospital gained national attention in 2022. Patients and most of the staff were not informed ahead of time. Four law enforcement agencies who responded to panicked 911 calls from inside the hospital weren’t notified of the drill either, and responded as if the threat was real.
In October, the Michigan Court of Claims granted final approval for a class action settlement against MDHHS. The settlement agreement totaled $13 million, with about $9 million to patients and staff who said they were terrorized by the unannounced active shooter drill.
The Hawthorn Center is being torn down and a new facility is being built in its place. Patients have been temporarily transferred to another state-run facility, the Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland.
There have been concerns raised about how well that facility is being run and how the children there are being treated.
---> Hawthorn Center whistleblower says she was harassed after exposing conditions
‘They’re a voice for the voiceless’
Local 4 Investigator Karen Drew recently sat down with Webber to talk about his concerns, and an audit that has been waiting to be completed for a year and a half. Webber said it’s time to make some serious changes.
“So you ask for the audit. It takes all this time. What’s running through your head in terms of why this could be?” Karen Drew asked.
Webber said the audit began in June of 2024 and it was expected to be finished by early 2025. Now it isn’t expected until the summer of 2025.
“I think as they’re looking at it more, the deeper they’re looking, the worse it’s it’s getting. And they now are saying probably the summer of this year. And I think, you know, as they look deeper, they’re seeing more issues that need to be resolved,” Webber said.
Webber said he is pushing legislation with the goal of making sure that all patients understand what their rights are when they go into a facility like Hawthorn. Webber also wants some new voices on the board that looks over patient’s complaints.
“Right now the the council is made up of people that are just kind of looking inward, that are trying to protect themselves, trying to protect the system. We need these advocacy groups . . . they’re a voice for the voiceless, voice for the vulnerable,” Webber said.
In the letter to Hertel, Webber requests a variety of things including fixing the issue of unanswered recipient rights complaints. Webber has been told that families have waited months for responses to their concerns, others say they are just ignored. He’s also asking for access to video footage, there have been complaints that cameras don’t consistently work.
Watch the full interview with Webber below:
MDHHS responds
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the following statement:
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is always happy to work with our legislative partners and welcome the opportunity to respond to their questions.
“The current audit by the external Office of Auditor General focuses on the Office of Recipients Rights, which was created under the Mental Health Code to protect the health and safety and promote the constitutional and statutory rights of individuals receiving behavioral health services in Michigan.
“The health and safety of our staff and patients is our top concern and we look forward to continuing our long history of providing quality behavioral health care at the new Southeast Michigan Psychiatric Hospital in Northville slated to open in fall 2026.
“As part of our dedication to Michigan families in need of care, we have:
- Expanded access to community-level behavioral health services that meet people where they are at the service level they need through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, which serve all individuals with a behavioral health diagnosis, regardless of insurance or ability to pay; Adult Crisis Stabilization Units to provide immediate assessment and support to anyone in a behavioral health crisis; and psychiatric residential treatment facilities that allows someone to transition or step-down between inpatient care services and community placement.
- Lowered the wait list for admission to the four state hospitals from 100 patients to less than 20.
- Implemented a patient care program for youth patients that tracks scheduling, medication, therapy and schooling to ensure their specific care needs and benchmarks are being met.
- Invested $376 million for a new Southeast Michigan Psychiatric Hospital in Northville that will serve all ages with separate living and programmatic spaces for children and adults."
