Beaver County

Secretary of Health and Human Services confirms federal investigation underway into Brighton Rehab

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — The conversation quickly turned to Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a visit to a facility right across the street Friday.

“[It’s] under investigation by the state and federal officials, so it’s not appropriate for me to visit there. But it shows how seriously we are taking this,” Secretary Alex Azar said.

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The facility has been the site of the worst long-term care home COVID-19 outbreak in the state. Hundreds of patients and staff members have fallen ill and more than 70 people have died.

Azar said federal investigators had been inside Brighton Rehab for three days in mid-May. Nursing home inspections and violations are handled by state officials, but Azar said the facility was so bad, his department had to make this rare move.

“Frankly, (it was) so devastating we had to do something,” he said.

Federal investigators are working on the results of their investigation, and Azar said he expects the findings to be made public very soon.