Staffers Allege that Employer Ignored COVID Precautions in Massachusetts

A Massachusetts man claims that a national addiction treatment program with offices in Pittsfield and Cummington failed to take precautions to protect him, fellow staff members, as well as residential clients from COVID-19 infection.

Stephen Seward and four co-workers filed a lawsuit in Hampshire Superior Court against Vertava Health LLC alleging that prior to February 2021 the company had no clear protocols on how to prevent or manage a COVID-19 outbreak, the Berkshire Eagle reported.

Michale Aleo, the attorney representing the five employees, told the publication that when the plaintiffs would raise concerns about how the company is handling a potential outbreak “they were either ignored or, worse, fired.”

“Given this last year that we have collectively struggled through, such conduct by the facility, as the plaintiffs have alleged, is simply unconscionable,” Aleo wrote in an email.

A Vertava executive declined to comment on the lawsuit and said that the company is “committed to the safety and well-being of our staff and maintaining the highest level of quality and care for our patients.”