The Latest: Care facility where rape occurred to stay open
Posted February 8, 2019 7:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PHOENIX — The Latest on whether a long-term care facility in Arizona where a patient was raped will close (all times local):
5:25 p.m.
The state will oversee the operations of a long-term care facility in Phoenix where an incapacitated woman was raped and later gave birth in an agreement to keep it from closing.
A spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey says Hacienda HealthCare officials agreed Friday afternoon to accept voluntary regulation from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Patrick Ptak said this means the patients will be allowed to stay.
He says state agencies will work with Hacienda to establish a regulatory agreement with strong accountability measures.
Hacienda announced on Thursday that it was planning to shut down the unit where a 29-year-old patient became pregnant as the result of a sexual assault.
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11:55 a.m.
Arizona is contesting a long-term care facility’s decision to shut down the unit where an incapacitated woman was raped and later gave birth.
State regulators in a letter Friday say Hacienda HealthCare’s contract does not allow it to close its intermediate care facility without written consent from the state.
They say Hacienda’s board of directors has until 4 p.m. to answer questions about the closure decision.
The facility has been in turmoil since a 29-year-old patient gave birth on Dec. 29. A nurse who cared for the woman has been charged with raping her.
Hacienda has struggled to meet the state’s request to hire a third-party management team to oversee daily operations.
The provider says the unit that serves intellectually disabled children and young adults is not sustainable.
The Associated Press
