3rd resident of Beaver County nursing home with covid-19 dies

A third resident who tested positive for covid-19 at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center has died, officials announced Thursday.

Two other residents with advanced dementia previously died after contracting the disease, according to Dr. David Thimons, the facility’s medical director.

“There are currently 38 in-house residents that have tested positive,” company officials said in a statement. “One positive resident did pass overnight, but it is not clear that covid-19 directly contributed to their passing.”

The statement didn’t specify how many residents or staffers have been tested for covid-19 and how many of those tests are pending. The nursing home, formerly owned by Beaver County, is in Brighton Township and has about 470 residents.

The announcement of the third death came a day after company officials reached an agreement with SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania to provide workers at the nursing home with personal protective equipment, onsite covid-19 testing and hazard pay.

SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania represents approximately 300 workers at the home. Company and union officials met after workers expressed concerns.

As of midday Wednesday, at least 34 residents who tested positive for covid-19 were being monitored in an isolated unit at the facility, which discovered its first case March 26.

Four residents who tested positive and had more severe symptoms were being treated at Heritage Valley Beaver hospital, also in Brighton Township.

“We should not have gotten to this point, and it will be a challenge to get the (personal protective equipment), but we are committed to keeping everyone at Brighton safe,” SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania President Matthew Yarnell said in a statement. “We’re already way behind where we should be, and that’s inexcusable. But we need to meet this moment where we are.”

Yarnell on Wednesday had said he received reports that some workers “believed they were forced to work in unsafe circumstances and walked off.”

Hannah Vance, a licensed practical nurse who has been working at Brighton through a nurse staffing agency, said she was having trouble last week finding masks for herself and for the certified nursing assistants who have the most contact with ill residents. After five phone calls, another nurse was able to find four and gave them to Vance.

Vance said she decided not to go back to the facility since that Thursday shift because she has two small children.

About 20 nurses, many who were relocated to the area by staffing agencies, had either walked out or decided to not come back for shifts by the end of last week, Vance said. Some had even returned home to places such as Georgia and Louisiana.

Brighton officials said Thursday the facility had successfully acquired all CDC-recommended PPE’s and had a strong treatment program in place for residents “more than a week ago.”

The nursing home said it has received 2,500 surgical gowns and N95 respirator masks since announcing the outbreak. About 485 N95 masks now are in stock, up from about 150 as of Saturday.

“We cannot fully express our residents’ appreciation and respect for those who are working hard day in and day out at this unprecedented time,” the company said in its statement.

Shania Taylor, a Certified Nursing Assistant, said she was happy that progress has been made.

“It brings a little peace of mind to all of us. Workers are scared of catching this virus and passing it along to our residents,” said Taylor, who was waiting for her covid-19 test result as of Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.