Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CEO Of Nursing Facility Where Woman In Vegetative State Gave Birth Resigns
The chief executive of the corporation that runs a private nursing home in Arizona where a woman in a vegetative state was sexually assaulted and later gave birth to a child resigned on Monday, the company said in a statement. The company, Hacienda HealthCare, said the resignation of the executive, Bill Timmons, was unanimously accepted by its board of directors. David Leibowitz, a company spokesman, said Mr. Timmons had been chief executive for 28 years. Efforts to reach Mr. Timmons on Monday night were unsuccessful. (Stack, 1/7)
Hacienda 鈥渨ill accept nothing less than a full accounting of this absolutely horrifying situation, an unprecedented case that has devastated everyone involved, from the victim and her family to Hacienda staff at every level of our organization,鈥 Gary Orman, a member of Hacienda鈥檚 board of directors, said in the statement. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident, and it鈥檚 unclear whether police have identified any suspects. In Arizona, sexually assaulting a vulnerable adult is a felony. (Wootson, 1/7)
The Arizona Department of Health Services on Friday confirmed that the patient who gave birth was a resident at Hacienda de Los Angeles, 1402 E. South Mountain Ave. State licensing records describe the facility as a 60-bed intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disabilities. (Innes, 1/7)