After a woman in a vegetative state gave birth at a private nursing facility last month, Arizona police are launching an investigation.
According to KPHO-TV, Sgt. Tommy Thompson — a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department — says authorities are looking into allegations that the female patient was sexually assaulted at the Hacienda HealthCare facility (not pictured above), which provides long-term care for people with intellectual disabilities.
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The alleged victim — who has not been publicly identified — has been a patient for at least a decade because of a near-drowning incident.
Because of the controversy, the Arizona Department of Health Services has sent inspectors to check on patients at the institution, which is about seven miles south of downtown Phoenix.
Spokeswoman, Melissa Blasius-Nuanez, commented on Friday:
“During this time, the agency has required heightened safety measures be implemented at the facility, including increased staff presence during patient interactions; increased monitoring of the patient care areas; and increased security measures with respect to visitors at the facility.”
That same day, Hacienda HealthCare spokesman David Leibowitz says the organization “stands fully committed to getting to the truth of what, for us, represents an unprecedented matter,” adding:
“We have recently become aware of a deeply disturbing incident involving the health and safety of a Hacienda resident… While federal and state privacy laws prohibit us from publicly discussing a patient’s health or case, Hacienda has and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and all the relevant regulatory agencies regarding this matter.”
The woman gave birth to a baby boy on December 29.
[Image via WENN.]
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