LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced that he has filed involuntary manslaughter charges against a Detroit nursing home, its medical director, and director of nursing following an investigation into the heat-related death (hyperthermia) of a 78-year-old female tube-fed resident. (See The News, “Nursing Home Deaths Lead To A/C Legislation,” July 16, 2001.)
“We have a fundamental obligation to protect the most vulnerable in our society. In the case of Ms. Williams, that obligation was completely ignored by Northland, by the supervising doctor, and the head nurse. Their refusal to act accordingly cost Ms. Williams her life,” Cox stated. “I will not sit idly by and watch this neglect go unpunished. Our seniors deserve much better.”