Lawsuit alleges Brighton Rehab performed coronavirus drug experiments on residents

A class-action lawsuit alleges that lack of oversight by the state Department of Health allowed Brighton Rehabilitation in Beaver County to perform drug experiments on patients under the guise of clinical trials to prevent coronavirus.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, alleges that the department has scaled down nursing home inspections in the wake of the pandemic and “had knowledge that at least one long-term care facility was experimenting on its residents” and “failed to take action.”

Jodi Gill, the daughter of a Brighton Rehab resident, alleged that she was coerced by staff at Brighton to sign a consent form allowing her father to be treated with hydroxychloroquine and zinc to see if it would prevent him from contracting the virus.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health could not immediately be reached for comment.

Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, has been touted by President Donald Trump as a treatment for covid-19. Medical experts have said the risks of severe and deadly side effects are too great and that too little research has been done into the drug’s viability as a treatment for coronavirus.

Brighton Rehab has not released new numbers, and officials have said they are operating under the assumption all residents are positive. State data show there are nearly 250 cases in three nursing homes in the county. County officials said earlier this month they were told there were more than 100 cases in Brighton.

According to the lawsuit, Gill’s father was exposed to covid-19, but it’s unclear whether he is positive for the virus. She alleged there is no evidence indicating the drug study was approved by an institutional review board — an independent committee that ensures such studies are ethical.

Gill alleged she was “coerced to sign the form because she was told that it would help her father and by not signing it, she would not being helping him,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit indicated that the alleged “biomedical experimentations” would have been unlikely if regular inspections hadn’t been halted.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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