Surgeon accuses DMC of unethical behavior, Michigan's twin abortion battles, the return of high gas prices
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - A former Detroit Medical Center surgeon says the hospital and its parent company is no longer focusing on the health and well-being on the patients they're caring for but are instead, putting the financial profits first.
Dr. Shakir Hussein started at DMC's Harper Hospital in 2011 and was chief of their kidney transplant program. Over the next nine years, the grew to gain national recognition. That ended in 2020 when he was terminated. Shortly after, the transplant program was discontinued.
According to the surgeon, he was terminated by DMC's parent company, Tenet, 48 hours after sending an email to the company's general counsel. Tenet Healthcare is based in Dallas and are the for-profit owners of Detroit Medical Center.
In his email, he requested to speak with the board of directors after he says his complaints were not addressed. He read part of the email in an interview with FOX 2:
"I have witnessed unethical behavior and regulatory violations at DMC - the situation intensified this year - especially during Covid," the 2020 email read. "As we all know, Tenet is a publicly traded corporation that deals with public safety and human lives and gets regulated and compensated by public entities like Medicare and Medicaid. The public deserves to know what is happening inside DMC - which is owned by Tenet"
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According to Dr. Hussein, the problems started in 2018 when he complained about patient safety and a leading cardiologist. He said he emailed complaints to many people in power.
"CCing everyone including the chairman of this and the chairman of that, sometimes the dean of medicine or the CEO of the group - the CEO of the hospital - and of course that ended up being unpopular," he said.
He did it again in 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic when he once again sounded the alarms about what he believed to be kickback violations. That's something Tenet had faced fines for elsewhere to the tune of $500 million. He says that, once Covid started, he became even more vocal about patient safety.
Dr. Hussein said the first patient at Harper with Covid was a transplant patient, leading to more than a dozen doctors, nurses, providers having to be quarantined. He demanded DMC halt elective procedures.
"As a physician, patient safety is number one," Dr. Hussein said. "I said we need to stop - and I didn't say it half-hearted - I said to continue doing this is truly a crime against patients."
He said it took an order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for DMC to halt elective procedures. The reason, he says, was money.
"Because a lot of money is made from these elective procedures," Dr. Hussein said.
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According to Dr. Hussein, there's more. He said DMC was slow to get on-site testing, short on PPE, and patients were sometimes housed two to a room - without knowing if or who was positive for COVID-19.
"I think by now, it's no secret that we've been in the news over and over and over and over. It's no pleasure that I come on the news; this is not the fame that I like," he said.
Sinai Grace made national headlines in the spring of 2020 for short staffing and bodies piling up in hospital rooms. But Dr. Hussein believes this is all a bigger problem with Tenet healthcare.
The company has facilities all over the country - and is acquiring more - but also faces questions from federal lawmakers about their use of CARES act funds. Just last week - a Detroit News article alleged short staffing, delayed care, and deaths. Anonymous nurses and doctors were asking attorney general Dana Nessel to investigate.
"The vast majority of people who raise their voice, they raised it without giving a face and a name. And I think it's about time for more people to come out," Dr. Hussein said.
He said these are allegations that he's been making for years and has emailed everyone from Nessel to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and state and federal lawmakers.
He said he's not getting much of a response.
"I'm not a legal expert or a lawyer to know exactly whether it's a crime or not, but I'm a physician and a doctor and I know when a patient's life is exposed to danger," Dr. Hussein said. "Profit regardless of patient safety - that is the biggest problem. It means that you cut on everything: You cut on education, you cut on infrastructure, you cut on maintenance. you cut on nursing, on the staffing."
Dr. Hussein said he's worried about DMC's future as other Tenet hospitals that have served low-income populations in Philadelphia and Illinois closed after Tenet sold them.
In Detroit, a city that's seen so many people of color die from Covid, and in a state that's pledged to end racial disparities in healthcare - he said something should be done about Tenet and DMC.
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"The patients that we take care of are poor - for the most part - they are not as much educated. So they are more vulnerable and minority - they are more vulnerable," Dr. Hussein said. "Many members of this community do not have the means to go somewhere else so we have to be there for them."
FOX 2 reached out to DMC for a comment on Dr. Hussein's claims.
"The DMC has an unwavering commitment to provide the safest and highest quality of care and services to our community. We are proud to care for the vulnerable populations of patients we serve and are proud of the work of our staff, nurses and physicians and their unmatched dedication to our patients. As we have said previously, the decision to close the kidney transplant program was made due to several factors, including not having sufficient volume to support a high-quality program long term, which was compounded by changes in organ allocation protocols by UNOS in the Spring of 2021. The closure of the program was not a result of patient complaints or COVID protocols. Any implications that these are the reasons for the program closure are incorrect," the statement read.
Last week, Nessel's office said they had only just begun its investigation.
Whitmer signs ‘Wyatt’s Law' into office
After years of wrangling in the state legislature, a woman's mission to codify a statewide child abuse registry has been realized. On Thursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed "Wyatt's Law" into state law. The package of bills creates an electronic case management system that the public and others can use to track confirmed cases of those who have abused or neglected children.
The information, now available to parents and guardians of children throughout the state plugs a gap of available knowledge that Erica Hammel said could have kept her son Wyatt Rewoldt from the abuse he experienced years ago.
"It’s been a 7 1/2-year journey that hasn’t been easy," Hammel said in a statement. "But Wyatt’s life hasn’t been easy and that has always continued to push me to get this done. What happened to Wyatt could have been prevented had pertinent information been easily accessible."
Wyatt experienced irreparable brain damage at the hands of a previously convicted child abuser. The individual, a woman who cared for him until 2013, had a prior child abuse conviction that Hammel wasn't aware of, despite her checking.
Twin legal efforts take aim at Michigan abortion ban
Twin legal efforts from both the Michigan governor and the American Civil Liberties Union represent the two-pronged plan that proponents of abortion say they will pursue to legalize abortion in the state, following reports that the federal law protecting the medical practice may be struck down.
While Whitmer hopes to successfully challenge a 1931 ban on abortion at the state Supreme Court, the ACLU is pursuing a ballot proposal that would push the decision to the public during midterm elections in November.
The week's news has altered the political implications for the next election and some believe could give Democrats more ammunition as the political season heats up. But there are several groups in opposition to abortion preparing for the fight.
"What we should be doing as a society is wrapping our arms around those women and providing them with the resources they need so that they can support the life of their children rather than taking that money away from them," said John Bursch, the vice president of Appellate Advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom. The Archdiocese of Detroit also released a statement opposing the practice and advocating for "providing clear, realistic, and effective alternatives to abortion."
Gas price surge for spring brings more pain at the pump
Many drivers say they can’t afford to take the pain at the gas pump any longer. Just when you thought gas prices were heading in the right direction after weeks of going up - suddenly, prices have shot right back up again.
"Gas is too expensive, it’s like spending $60, $70 every time I come to the pump," said one driver. Some business owners have to pass the expense on to their customers. "I’m in construction. I drive around a lot, so we have to charge more for what we do," said Steven Braggs.
"If you’re angry about high gas prices - so are the station owner, and so is the people who work in the gas station," said Mark Griffin. Griffin is the president of The Michigan Petroleum Association and the Michigan Association of Convenience Stores. "We sell about 2,500 gallons a day per location," he said. "There’s 4,800 gas stations in Michigan and we need to be able to generate enough cash flow to refill our tanks."
But as gas prices go up, experts say profits are not. "We used to make 5-6 cents per gallon, that's all - but not anymore," said Alwaled Saleh, a gas station manager. "Retailers are forced unfortunately to raise their prices just to keep up," Griffin said. Griffin says the issue right now is that the inventory level is too low for crude oil.
Community rallies for Roseville girl hit by pickup truck
It was anything but a typical night at Great Skate Thursday. All the money spent from skate rentals to raffle tickets, went to a Roseville Middle School student and her family. Last week Julia Wallace was hit by a vehicle and critically injured while walking to school. The driver, a 21-year-old, did stop at the scene. Police say drugs and alcohol are not a factor. It is unclear if he will face charges.
"We just knew we had to do something to support this girl," said Stephanie White, Great Skate manager. "One minute she was talking to us on a texting app," said her friend, Noah Mannino. "And I went back on, and then my friends were talking about how she was hit by a car."
It happened at the intersection of Martin Road and Barkman Street just yards away from the school. Julia’s friends came together tonight to skate and call for change. "If they had crossing guards or anything this could have been prevented," said one of the teens. With Julia Wallace's 13th birthday just days away, she remains hospitalized with a severe brain injury.
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Last week Julia Wallace was hit by a vehicle and critically injured while walking to school. The driver, a 21-year-old, did stop at the scene. Police say drugs and alcohol are not a factor. It is unclear if he will face charges.
It’s a lot for her friends to process - and skating for a few hours helped them get their mind off everything. And, knowing they were helping the family financially, is comforting. Julia's family has created a GoFundMe page. GO HERE to donate.
What else we're watching
- Two people were shot and one is in critical condition after an instance of gunfire on a block of Appoline. Police say one woman was grazed and another person was shot in the stomach. The shooter is in custody, according to Detroit police.
- The Livingston County Election Commission plans to certify petition language that would call for the recall of a local school board trustee at Brighton Schools. John Conely allegedly responded to an email from a district employee asking he vote in favor of a mask mandate by writing "You mean like Hitler did?"
- In honor of the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, Green Dot Stables is planning a big day party with live music, a costume contest, and special menu items for the race. And yes, that includes mint juleps.
- The Opening Day for Rochester's Farmers' Market this year kicks off on May 7. It'll be the 23rd season of the market, which goes on during the summer months from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.
- And for Mother's Day, the best spot to do some last-minute shopping will be the Royal Oak in Bloom festival this Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. It'll be on in the Main Street parking lots.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
It's going to be a wet Friday with rain expected much of the morning and sprinkles in the afternoon. Temperatures should climb into the 60s again. More clouds and mid-60 weather Saturday before the sun comes out for Mother's Day. Be on the lookout for a steep rise in temperatures next week.
No buds about it: Global flower shortage may leave kids scrambling this Mother's Day
They say April showers bring May flowers, but florists are becoming concerned about extreme weather conditions in key growing regions.
Countries like Colombia are seeing record flooding and Israel is experiencing a heat wave which creates a more stressful growing environment for delicate flowers. It also means certain flowers may not be the ideal bloom you are used to buying.
Nicole Troncone, owner and florist of NT Designs, said her shop was one of many affected across the U.S.
"We weren't able to get some product because of flooding, because of heat waves in Israel," Troncone said. "So, what we do is basically figure out our plan B and adjust."
Some flowers grown in Israel include the sweet pea, known for their exquisite fragrance and delicate shape, which are hard to acquire due to the period of unusually hot weather.