DEARBORN, MI – Congresswomen Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) pressed Beaumont Health to reopen Wayne Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked questions regarding this decision and Beaumont’s plans for other facilities in Southeast Michigan. 

On Monday, Dingell and Tlaib expressed deep concerns heard from staff and community members that the closure of Beaumont Wayne Hospital would have a negative impact on the region during the COVID-19 crisis. The lawmakers followed up with a number of significant questions to understand Beaumont’s business plan for a number of their hospitals, including the future of Western Wayne and Downriver hospitals. Recent decisions and announcements have led to widespread concerns about health care availability in Western Wayne County. The lawmakers heard concerns that Beaumont is targeting union members for layoffs and elimination of those jobs. The lawmakers asked if Beaumont employees were entitled to hazardous duty pay as well as other questions about the financial stability of Beaumont health, Michigan’s largest health care system.

“We write to follow up on our letter dated April 14, 2020 regarding the closure of Beaumont Wayne Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote Dingell and Tlaib. “Since that time, we have heard from numerous employees, families of patients, local elected officials, and other critical stakeholders expressing concerns about this decision and the impact it will have on communities in Western Wayne County and surrounding areas.”

Dingell and Tlaib’s first letter on the Beaumont closure is available here.

Their letter with more questions is available here.