LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michael Webber sent a letter Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks encouraging the Senate to hold a hearing on the appointment of Amy Epkey as the new director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Former MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel stepped down effective July 1, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Epkey, the department’s former senior deputy director for financial operations administration, as the new director.

“The new director needs to take decisive action to restore trust within the Legislature and the public — who have felt let down by the department and have seen their concerns largely ignored,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills. “The former director misled me and other lawmakers on the video and audio capabilities at the five state-run psychiatric hospitals. She told me the systems were working and when there was a problem, the state quickly fixed it. But a recent state audit found that cameras or audio recorders weren’t working 40% of the time — hampering the Office of Recipient Rights’ ability to conduct investigations.”

In his letter to Brinks, Webber wrote, “Given the department’s immense responsibility for protecting children, supporting vulnerable families and overseeing critical health and human services programs, it is paramount that the Senate conduct a bipartisan advice and consent hearing before confirming the next director.”

Webber requested an audit by the Office of the Auditor General after hearing tragic accounts from former patients and families with loved ones who received care at the former Hawthorn Center. Last September, the OAG released the findings of an independent audit of the ORR, the agency within MDHHS responsible for protecting the rights of people receiving public mental health services.

Webber also recently introduced an eight-bill package to require MDHHS and ORR to implement reforms recommended by the OAG in its report.

“Michigan families deserve accountability for the failures that have plagued MDHHS,” Webber wrote in his letter to Brinks. “A thorough, bipartisan confirmation hearing is an important opportunity to ensure the next director is prepared to restore public trust and effectively lead this vital department.”

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