BEAVER, Pa. — Relatives of people living at Brighton Rehab in Beaver County are getting more and more frustrated with what they say is secrecy surrounding the care of their loved ones.
Brighton Rehab has had dozens of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and several deaths, and earlier this month announced it would begin treating every resident as if they have the virus.
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On Thursday, the Beaver County Commissioners spoke out against the nursing home and on Friday Channel 11’s Angie Moreschi talked to family members.
"I think it’s ridiculous and I think they need to be open about what’s going on and try to get it fixed because it’s not going to get any better if they don’t do something about it,” Matthew Severs, whose mother, Marcella, is at Brighton Rehab, said.
Severs said the last update his family got was 10 days ago when the nursing home called his grandfather.
“They told him that my mother contracted the coronavirus and that he should make funeral arrangements as a precaution," Severs said.
When he called to clarify the information the nursing home told Severs they were telling all of the families that as a precaution.
Even the families of healthy patients have concerns about how their loved ones are being treated.
Olivia DiFelice said she got an email update a few days ago saying that her grandfather has not tested positive for COVID-19, but he’s part of a group of residents that Brighton is treating prophylactically with hydroxychloroquine; an experimental drug that's had mixed reviews.
"I wish I knew more about it. I’ve heard there are adverse side effects, which does concern me,” DiFelice said.
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