NOVI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Novi police have concluded their investigation into the death and hospitalizations connected to the DaVita Dialysis Center in Novi, finding no evidence of suspicious activity, foul play or criminal conduct. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is now handling the matter as a public health investigation.
The Novi DaVita facility remains closed, as recommended by the Oakland County Health Department, while the state's investigation continues — a process experts say could take months.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report below:
A 72-year-old woman from Livonia died after receiving treatment at the center last Friday. Multiple others were hospitalized, including one patient who remains in the intensive care unit.
Larry Greenberg, DO, a nephrologist who has treated patients with kidney disease for decades, said investigators will likely cast a wide net as they work to determine what happened.
"They would probably start with looking for problems at the level of the dialysis unit, then they'll move on to problems with individual supplies used, the water system," Greenberg said.
Greenberg described dialysis as an inherently complex process with many potential points of failure.
Watch our previous report about the death and illnesses below:
"Dialysis really is a complex system. It relies on not only industries, suppliers, the city, the individual center," Greenberg added.
Alethea Walls, an advocate for those with kidney disease and the policy committee chair for Dialysis Patient Citizens, receives dialysis treatments at the Royal Oak DaVita location four times a week. She was receiving treatment during our interview and said her location has seen an influx of patients as those from the Novi center are redirected to other facilities.
"I definitely would like to know what happened. I'm extremely curious," Walls said. "It's a very concerning situation," she said.
DaVita is one of the largest U.S. providers of dialysis treatments, with over 2,600 centers nationwide. In 2018, the company was ordered to pay $383.5 million to the families of three patients who died after treatment. The company had no updates when reached Thursday except that the facility remains closed.
Patients and the community are hoping for clarity from the state and the company soon.
Several families who were impacted have retained Fieger Law, the firm said Thursday. Fieger Law released the following statement:
"Our hearts are with every patient and family impacted by these tragic events," said James Harrington, President and CEO of Fieger Law. "Individuals receiving dialysis place immense trust in their healthcare providers. Something went wrong and families deserve answers. Hopefully, DaVita Dialysis Center will cooperate and give us the truth of what happened."
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