Duggan: Detroiters with chronic illnesses need to start getting treatment again

(FOX 2) - Mayor Mike Duggan on Thursday is calling on doctors, hospitals, and the governor to open up the rest of the health system so those with chronic illnesses can start getting treatment again.

“I think the day-to-day healthcare of a lot of Detroiters is being neglected,” he said.

Commending the governor for creating a task force for disparities in healthcare, “But the black and white disparity in healthcare didn’t start with COVID-19,” Duggan said.

The mayor said it’s been around for a while and when someone can’t get in to see their doctor or visit a hospital, the disparity gets even worse. For example, there are people in the city who aren’t getting their sickle cell treatment because they don’t want to go to the doctor or hospital.

“We have people who aren’t going to the doctor to take care of their diabetes. We’ve got people with heart issues who have not gone in for angioplasty. We have people who have been told you’ve got a lump and they haven’t gone in to get a biopsy for their cancer,” Duggan said. “What is happening right now is when you cannot get to your doctor, the health disparities between the black and the white communities get worse.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, with people on gurneys in hospital hallways, it made sense to stay away from the hospitals because the risk of getting worse with the coronavirus was worse than not having elective surgery.

“In my mind, elective surgery is facelifts and cosmetic surgery. ... Angioplasty is not elective surgery. You may not need it today, but if you don’t get it - you’re going to be at risk,” Duggan said.

Duggan said those suffering from chronic illnesses that they need to maintain -- it’s time to call your doctor and start to get treatments again.

The mayor said Fire Commissioner Eric Jones reported that there has been a rise in the number of people who have already died when EMS arrived -- nothing to do with COVID-19.

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“I suspect we have people who are deferring our other healthcare needs in this city,” Duggan said. “I want people to understand, hospitals know how to treat you during times of infectious disease. They know how to segregate wards so that you don’t have the infectious with the non-infectious.”

Duggan said they couldn’t do it two weeks ago when they were overloaded, but they can do it now.

“You need to go back to seeing your doctor for your chronic conditions," he said.

DETROIT POLICE UPDATE

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said as of Thursday, 69 members of the department are positive with COVID-19. Since testing began weeks ago, a total of 299 officers have tested positive.

Craig said as of today, 99 department members are quarantined -- 76 officers and 23 civilians. A total of 1,116 employees have been quarantined since the pandemic started.

To put that in perspective, the city announced on March 30 that almost 500 officers were quarantined. Increasing instant coronavirus testing has dramatically improved the department’s testing capabilities and brought hundreds of officers back to work.

RELATED: Almost 500 Detroit police officers quarantined for possible coronavirus

The entire department is close to being fully tested, the chief said.

NURSING HOMES UPDATE

Over the course of 10 days, the city tested about 2,000 residents of the 26 nursing homes in Detroit. The city is now focusing on staff members at those facilities, who must be tested at the State Fairgrounds by May 11. So far, 24 nursing homes have contacted the city about scheduling testing appointments. 

Denise Fair, Chief Public Health Officer of the Detroit Health Department, said they are planning to test 37 long term healthcare facilities by May 15.

“Another aggressive target but so far we are ahead of schedule,” she said.