Second lawsuit filed against Geneva nursing home over coronavirus protocols
A second lawsuit has been filed against a Geneva nursing home where about one-fourth of its residents have died from coronavirus complications.
The family of Lucille James, who died May 1, is suing Bria of Geneva over allegations the long-term facility did not implement proper measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The complaint, filed Tuesday, also claims James was not isolated or tested and failed to receive adequate care after she became infected, causing her health to deteriorate rapidly.
A similar lawsuit was filed Monday by the estate of Helen Osucha, who died April 26. Both complaints accuse the facility of ignoring preventive directives issued by the state and failing to procure sufficient testing kits for residents until a week after its first case was confirmed April 17.
Bria Health Services said the nursing home had been following public health guidelines, which have "continuously changed." Testing was not immediately accessible, officials said, and asymptomatic carriers made the outbreak "impossible to detect and difficult to defeat."
Bria of Geneva is one of the state's hardest hit long-term care facilities, with at least 112 cases and 22 deaths reported as of Friday, according to Illinois of Public Health data. More than 50 residents and 33 employees who tested positive have recovered or remain asymptomatic as of Monday.