Ron Berlingo, 45, of Greensburg used to work for Monroeville Rehab and Wellness Center, a 120-bed long-term care facility located at 4142 Monroeville Blvd.
According to a complaint filed Monday at Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Berlingo was fired July 29. He had worked there since September, after having transferred from The Grove at Irwin, a nursing home. Both facilities are owned by the same company, Monroeville Operations LLC.
The Monroeville facility made headlines earlier this month when data from the state’s Department of Health showed the center reporting zero cases of covid-19 one week and then a week later reporting 47 cases and seven deaths.
At the time, the facility said in a statement it was “cautiously optimistic” it had turned a corner because 20 residents’ health had improved, or “resolved,” and 13 staff members had returned to work after medical clearances.
It did not, however, explain the discrepancy in reporting covid-19 cases.
Berlingo’s whistleblower lawsuit adds to the owners’ growing scrutiny in how it has handled the covid-19 outbreak.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Aug. 12 Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County is under criminal investigation to see if charges are warranted related to the “conditions and practices” there. The nursing home is where 73 residents have died of covid-19 and more than 300 residents and staffers have been infected since March.
According to Berlingo’s complaint, prepared and filed by his attorney, Adam Gorzelsky, Monroeville Rehab and Wellness Center reported its first covid-19 case in late June or early July. The discovery prompted Berlingo to contact the state Department of Health to report it.
The Allegheny County Department of Health also became involved at that point, the complaint said, and Joan Hebden was assigned as an Infection Control Specialist.
At that time, Monroeville Rehab and Wellness Center tapped a regional administrative consultant named Tom Lowden to be “more involved with the day-to-day operations.”
Hebden communicated with Berlingo, Lowden, the center’s head nurse — whom the lawsuit does not identify — and the center’s attorneys weekly to continue to monitor the situation, the lawsuit said.
During these weekly calls, Berlingo alleges, the head nurse and Lowden were not giving Hebden accurate information regarding covid-19 cases at the center.
State Department of Health data shows the center currently has 59 positive cases among residents, 20 positive cases among staff members and 11 resident deaths. The data represents an increase of 10 cases among residents since Aug. 17.
State data shows Monroeville Rehab reported its first covid-19 cases on July 7, when four of its staff members tested positive. The following week, the center reported nine cases among residents and five cases among staff. Cases decreased for the next three weeks, and on Aug. 4 the numbers hit zero cases and zero deaths.
However, the next week, on Aug. 10, cases among residents jumped to 47, with seven deaths and zero cases among staff. A week later, on Aug. 17, cases among staff shot up to 20.
In one of those weekly calls regarding cases at Monroeville Rehab, the lawsuit said, Lowden and the head nurse told Hebden that a number of employees who had fallen ill were returning back to work.
“This was not the case,” the complaint alleges.
At one point, Lowden told Hebden the center had begun working with an epidemiologist “to control the situation.” Berlingo said this also was not true.
When Berlingo informed Hebden of the discrepancies, Lowden reprimanded him on multiple occasions for talking with the state without having the center’s attorneys present, the complaint said. Lowden also told Berlingo he was not allowed to speak during the weekly teleconferences with Hebden, according to the lawsuit.
After the head nurse allegedly reported more inaccurate information during a group call on July 28, Berlingo reached out again to Hebden to set the record straight, according to the complaint. A day later, Berlingo was fired.
Monroeville Rehab management provided a written statement when asked for comment:
“As much as we would like to explain why the prior administrator was terminated and why we believe the lawsuit is frivolous, we cannot comment on pending litigation. We can say we believe it was the former administrator who gathered the numbers, logged in to the reporting portal, and reported the numbers to the state. All current numbers are accurate and past data has been addressed appropriately with the state. In accordance with guidelines, the facility sends all COVID-19-related data to the state and county.”
Gorzelsky, Berlingo’s attorney, said his client acknowledges the fact he was responsible for collecting and reporting data, along with ensuring his staff and residents were safe. But he was never made aware of any performance errors.
“If they felt he was doing something incorrect, (Berlingo) would have taken any correction,” Gorzelsky said. “The only thing he was doing ‘wrong’ was talking to (health officials) without attorneys present. Ron was genuinely doing what he could do to protect his residents and employees. But he kept hitting road block after road block.”
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Lawsuit: Monroeville nursing home fired administrator for whistleblowing false covid-19 numbers
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