Fond Du Lac Times

Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI) has introduced the Randy Susen Nursing Home Visitation Rights Act, aiming to guarantee that nursing home residents retain visitation rights during times of crisis. The legislation was developed in collaboration with Shirley Krause, the wife of Randy Susen.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many nursing homes restricted visits as a measure to control infection. These policies resulted in residents being isolated from their families, which often led to declines in their mental and physical health.

The bill is named after Randy Susen, a resident of Wisconsin’s Sixth District who died during the pandemic after being denied family visits. According to Grothman, “Tragedies like Randy Susen’s must never be repeated. Forced isolation robbed Randy, and other residents, of the very connections that give them strength and joy. Policies that were intended to protect instead caused devastating harm, leaving far too many patients to suffer without the presence of their families. This bill will ensure that no nursing home resident is ever forced to face that isolation again.”

Shirley Krause recounted her experience: “After my 64-year-old husband Randy suffered a massive subdermal hematoma and stroke, doctors told me to let him go, saying he would never recover or even know me as his wife. Yet our love carried him into a remarkable recovery. In March 2020, COVID nursing home restrictions barred me from being with him—I could only see him through a window. His health declined from loneliness, and I was emotionally shattered by the separation. No patient or family should endure such inhumane pain.”

The proposed act would amend Medicare and Medicaid provisions within the Social Security Act so that every nursing home resident can designate at least one essential visitor who cannot be denied access except by the resident themselves.

Glenn Grothman has represented Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District since 2015 and has won several general elections against various opponents since then.