Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to this month’s edition of my e-newsletter. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the tough issues that will help lower the cost of living, help families get ahead, and build a brighter future for all who call Michigan home.

I welcome your feedback on current issues facing Michigan or the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, and Utica communities. Constituent feedback is vital as I represent our communities in Lansing. If you are experiencing a problem with one of our state government agencies, my office is always available to assist with finding a solution. I respect your opinion and will always do my best to make myself available and accessible to you.

Please take a moment to visit my website, like my official Facebook page, send me an email or call my office at 517-373-0994. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions on what is happening, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Webber
State Senator
9th District

I introduced bills to address growing concerns over patient rights and oversight at state-run psychiatric hospitals.

To improve oversight, increase transparency, and bring peace of mind to families of people being treated under the state’s care, these bills would add representatives from Disability Rights Michigan, Mental Health Association in Michigan and Arc Michigan as permanent standing members of the Recipient Rights Advisory Committee within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Senate Bill 1048 would also prohibit any MDHHS executive office staff from being appointed to or serving on the advisory committee. The current MDHHS director has appointed individuals from her executive team to the advisory committee.

SB 1049 would require hospitals to give voluntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients written notice of their rights. Hospitals already are required to give involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients written notice of their rights. However, the same is not true for patients who sign paperwork agreeing to formal, voluntary admission.

In the wake of a $13 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by employees and families of patients at the Hawthorn Center after an unannounced active shooter drill in 2022, I appeared on WDIV-TV Local 4 to continue to advocate for patients’ rights. The Hawthorn Center is Michigan’s only state-run youth psychiatric hospital. It is currently under renovation and patients have been moved to the Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital.

There have been concerns regarding these centers’ operations — and, unfortunately, the deeper we look, the worse it gets. It has become clear that more independent oversight and transparency within the department is needed. These reforms would strengthen the goal of protecting the Office of Recipient Rights — the entity responsible for investigating patient treatment complaints — from pressures that could interfere with the impartial, even-handed, and thorough performance of its function currently outlined in state law.

Residents who would like to share their experiences or concerns over care received at state-run psychiatric hospitals may contact Disability Rights Michigan, the federally mandated protection and advocacy system for Michigan, toll-free at 1-800-288-5923 or visit www.drmich.org.

Please click the image below to watch the full interview with Local 4.

I recently presented a tribute on the floor of the Michigan Senate to local resident Joann Kotcher, Michigan’s last living Donut Dolly. Ms. Kotcher was one of 627 young women who served in the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) program during the Vietnam War. She joined the SRAO program in May 1966 after having earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

The name Donut Dolly came from a time when young women passed out donuts to soldiers in combat zones. Ms. Kotcher and other Donut Dollies paved the way for women to be able to work in many different positions in the war effort. They were the first women in the history of the United States to be allowed into an active combat zone after having been invited by General William Westmoreland, Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

While nurses treated physical injuries, Donut Dollies tended to psychological wounds. Long before the vocabulary surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder came to be widely accepted, Donut Dollies were there to listen and support soldiers.

Ms. Kotcher’s book, “An American Red Cross Girl’s War in Vietnam,” has won several awards. It outlines her life and stories while in Vietnam. I was proud to recognize Ms. Kotcher for her service to our country.

I joined with the residents of the Greater Rochester Area to celebrate the centennial of the Rochester Hills Public Library. The library serves the residents of Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township.

In 1924, the citizens of Avon Township passed a millage to establish the Avon Township Free Public Library, which opened the following year. The original library was housed in a building on what is now Main Street in the city of Rochester. The library became the Rochester Hills Public Library in 1984 when Avon Township was incorporated into the city of Rochester Hills. The current 70,000-square-foot building that houses the library was opened in 1992 and is one of the finest library buildings in Metro Detroit.

For 100 years, the Rochester Hills Public Library has provided book rentals and a variety of community programs, including parent-child workshops, summer reading challenges, and weekly presentations and lectures from experts in many different fields. The library serves as a community center where residents of the Greater Rochester area can gather and socialize. It has had an incalculable and long-lasting positive impact on our community.

As part of the centennial celebration, the library will be renovating the storytime room in the youth services department as well as refreshing the adult services department. These renovations will help ensure that the library provides effective and necessary services to Greater Rochester area residents for years to come.

I presented a state tribute to Juliane Morian, director of the Rochester Hills Public Library.

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Diwali! May this Festival of Lights bring joy, prosperity and blessings to you and your loved ones.

No appointment is necessary to attend. Michigan’s 9th Senate District includes the cities of Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Utica, along with parts of Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.