HAMILTON, Ohio (PNN) - August 31, 2021 - A Butler County judge in Ohio has ordered a hospital to administer ivermectin to a ventilated COVID-19 patient, granting an emergency relief filed by the patient’s wife.
Butler County Common Pleas Judge Gregory Howard ruled last week that West Chester Hospital, part of the University of Cincinnati’s health network UC Health, must “immediately administer ivermectin” to patient Jeffrey Smith following his doctor’s prescription of 30 mg of ivermectin for 21 days.
Smith, 51, is a Verizon Wireless engineer in Butler County. According to the lawsuit filed by his wife Julie Smith, Smith tested positive for COVID-19 on July 9, and he was admitted to West Chester Hospital on July 15. On the same day, he was moved to an intensive care unit (ICU).
Smith’s condition continued to decline and he was placed on a ventilator on August 1. By August 19, the ventilator was operating at 80% volume, with Smith’s chances of survival dropping to less than 30%, court documents read. At that time, the hospital claimed to have exhausted all options in its COVID-19 treatment protocol.
“At this point, there is nothing more the defendant can do, or will do, for my husband,” Julie wrote in an affidavit included in her complaint.
“However, I cannot give up on him, even if the defendant has,” Julie continued. “There is no reason why the defendant cannot approve or authorize other forms of treatments so long as the benefits outweigh the risks.”
Julie had read about some lawsuits where patients in severe condition from COVID-19 later recovered after being given ivermectin.
These patients had won lawsuits forcing their hospitals to treat them with ivermectin. The plaintiffs in these cases were all represented by attorney Ralph Lorigo, chairman of New York’s Erie County Conservative Party, who later became one of Julie’s attorneys.
According to court documents, Julie requested that the hospital treat her husband with ivermectin, but the hospital refused to even though she offered to release them from “any and all” responsibility.
Julie then sought medical advice from Dr. Fred Wagshul, who later prescribed ivermectin to her husband. But the hospital still refused to do so, prompting her to file a lawsuit against the hospital.
“With absolutely nothing to lose, with little to no risk, and with the defendant likely to begin palliative care, there is no basis for it to refuse Dr. Wagshul’s order and prescription to administer ivermectin,” Julie said in the affidavit.
Wagshul is a founding member of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a nonprofit organization that is working to develop effective treatment protocols to prevent COVID-19 infection as well as treat patients with COVID-19.
In October of 2020, FLCCC adopted ivermectin as a core medication in its protocols for preventing and treating COVID-19. Its website references many recent studies reporting ivermectin to be a safe, effective, and inexpensive drug against COVID-19.
“Ivermectin is so safe,” Wagshul said. “It essentially has no drug interactions and no side effects.”