Two patients died after receiving treatment at the DaVita Dialysis Center on Providence Parkway in Novi on June 19, and a decade of inspection records reviewed by WXYZ shows the facility was repeatedly cited for sanitation, maintenance and infection-control deficiencies.
One patient, a 72-year-old woman, was found dead in her vehicle in the clinic's parking lot after she failed to return home from her appointment. A second patient, Leon Jr. Hinton, suffered a heart attack at his family home later that day and was hospitalized. Hinton died July 7.
Four patients were being treated at a hospital following the June 19 incidents, including one in intensive care, according to WXYZ. A patient treated at a DaVita Southfield location was also hospitalized.
Smiley Rammaha, one of the hospitalized patients, told WXYZ on June 24 that he felt lightheaded immediately after leaving the clinic, then progressively worsened. "I tried to stand up. I couldn't, so I crawled up half a flight of stairs to the foyer and I called my wife to please ask her to call 911," Rammaha said. He had been waiting 20 years for a kidney transplant and said the hospitalization could delay his eligibility.
Decade of deficiencies
A review of state inspection records spanning 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2026 shows inspectors repeatedly cited the Novi facility for dirty treatment areas, improperly labeled medication vials, dirty water-room equipment, leaks and other maintenance issues, according to WXYZ's reporting.
One day before Hinton died, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services conducted another survey of the clinic triggered by six separate complaints. Inspectors cited multiple federal deficiencies, including infection-control problems. Despite those findings, the facility was still rated in compliance overall.
The DaVita Novi location holds a two-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to WXYZ. Nephrologist Dr. James Sondheimer told WXYZ that on the agency's one-to-five-star scale, a rating of one or two is considered problematic, while three is average.
Police find no crime; state takes over
Novi police found no evidence of foul play or criminal conduct in connection with the June 19 incidents. The investigation was transferred to the state level by June 26, with MDHHS and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs taking over, CBS Detroit reported.
The Oakland County Health Department recommended the clinic's temporary closure. It reopened July 2.
MDHHS said in a written statement that staff did not find significant breaches in protocol during site visits in June and July. The state did not directly answer questions about what enforcement tools are available when inspectors repeatedly identify infection-control deficiencies, or what triggers stronger action.
Family demands answers
Zachery McIntosh-Young, Hinton's stepson, told WXYZ on Aug. 21 that he felt the clinic reopened too quickly and that the investigation should have produced more answers before patients returned. He said his stepfather loved the family deeply and called for deeper investigations into the facility's sanitation and fluids.
Fieger Law of Southfield announced June 26 that it had been retained to represent several affected patients.
A DaVita spokesperson said in a statement that dialysis patients are medically vulnerable and often manage multiple serious chronic conditions, and that patient well-being remains the company's highest priority. The statement did not address the inspection history.
Residents with information about the June 19 incidents can contact the Novi Police Department's non-emergency line at 248-348-7100.
