Arizona care facility CEO resigns after vegetative patient gave birth
The CEO of an Arizona long-term care center where a woman who has been in a vegetative state for years gave birth last month has resigned.
Hacienda HealthCare CEO Bill Timmons announced his resignation Monday effective immediately. His resignation was accepted unanimously by the center's board of directors, the Phoenix facility said in a press release Monday.
Hacienda “will 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,” Gary Orman, executive vice president of the board, said in a press release Monday evening.
Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix, Arizona. Google Maps
The center is cooperating with agencies investigating the matter, Orman said.
“And we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of every single one of our patients and our employees," Orman said.
Phoenix police confirmed to NBC-affiliate 12News that they are investigating the matter, but declined to give details.
An unidentified source told 12News that the woman's caregivers at Hacienda weren't aware she was pregnant until she was in labor and started to moan.
The patient has been in a vegetative state and at the facility for about 10 years after a near-drowning incident, the Associated Press reported.
A person is considered in a vegetative state when they are awake but not showing any signs of awareness, according to the Brain Foundation .
Hacienda HealthCare is privately owned and has more than 40 Phoenix-based health care programs that serve 2,500 people a year, according to its website. A majority of its patients are infants, children, teens and young adults.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has said it is working with police in the criminal investigation and has conducted a welfare probe at Hacienda. And the state's Department of Economic Security, which promotes the safety and well-being of the population, said in a statement last week that it had performed a safety check on every patient residing at the facility and is working with police on the investigation
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OK WTF on so many levels. This has to be one of the sicker stories of the year.
Theories, thoughts.....
Well at least they shouldn't have to much trouble tracking down the Creepy MF who did the deed (I'm assuming it was someone who worked there). Unless he's undocumented then they might not have his real name. I saw a case like this on Law & Order, lets hope it's not as twisted as that Episode.
Kill Bill comes to mind
then
Kill this scumbag
I had a paragraphical extreme list that i somehow just lost or deleted
probably for the best
Paternity test for ALL
Force to marry Lorena Bobbitt
Introduce to wood chipper
(paraphrased) "get some hard hitting crack boyz with a blowtorch and pliers, and go medieval on his ass"
He deserves Nothing but the best!
Arizona huh?
Go Apache on him, strap him to a fire ant hill.....
You forgot strip him naked first, then stake him to said fire ant nest using strips of wet rawhide that will shrink as they dry in the sun...
Possibly it's an immaculate conception, unlikely but there is one other example of it happening
Or the perfect spouse for many evangelical males looking for a quiet brood mare who doesn't even speak when spoken to...
Not perfect, can't cook and clean
or do laundry
The probability is that it was a male staff member. Igknorantzrulz has the right idea. DNA test every male staff member who was working there 9 months ago and match it to the baby. That will earmark the culprit, who should then be charged with rape since there is no possible way the victim could have given consent and a positive DNA result is surely sufficient evidence. Any staff member who quit around that time is suspect as well. The victim's guardian should also sue the culprit in the victim's name for support of the child, and sue the centre itself for punitive damages for negligence.
Local news is reporting they have discovered that she was raped several times. So it's possible there is a larger problem and more than a single male staff member involved. Local news also has an interview with a former manager who states that in a meeting where she and others were talking about taking problems to CPS (now known as the Arizona Department of Child Safety)and the CEO (Bill Simmons) became very angry and forced them to not report it. This indicates an ongoing issue of many years...
I think that CEO should be sued and possibly brought up on neglect/abuse charges
agreed
Dear Friend Snuffy: Excellent points all.
We are indebted to you for bringing them to our attention.
Enoch.
I think this qualifies as rape, so jail is where he belongs.
OK, interesting question - she's Native American - she was raped OFF THE RESERVATION - think maybe the FBI needs to hop on their little non-productive ponies and follow up as required under the Reauthorization Act for Violence Against Women of 2013???? I mean, under that law, this RAPE is under the FBI jurisdiction.
Dear Friend 1st Warrior: Good point.
This is off topic for this article. I don't mind if my post here is deleted for cause.
I would ask you and/or Kavika and/or Raven Wing and/or any other advocates for the rights of Native Americans to seed or write an article on the rate and other abuse rate of Native American Women, Men, and children in the USA.
We are aware of the stomach turning statistics in this matter.
Not all in our News Talker community may be aware.
We should be.
Enoch.
Native women suffer from sexual violence at 2.5 times the rate of any other race/ethenticity.
73% of the violence/rape are committed by non native men.
Under the original VAWA native women were not protected. In the last renewel after a fierce politial battle native women in the lower 48 were covered, Alaska Native women were not.
Recently a bi partisan law (Savannah Law) was set aside by ONE congressman, Goodlatte (R-Va) who would not give a reason. It has been re introduced last week by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Dear Brother Buzz: Excellent legal analysis of how to proceed on the rape charge.
The article says that until she went into labor, no one knew she was pregnant.
Really? Seriously?
Buzz: What are the legal ramifications of no one reporting her pregnancy until she went into labor?
Anyone else who can shed light on this part of the case, please muck in.
Plenty of blame to go around here.
As Perrie said, what goes on here, on so many levels?
"Justice, justice shall you pursue".
Enoch.
It could have been possible that nobody noticed the pregnancy if the victim were obese enough that it would not show - that aspect is not covered by the article. Of course if she stopped menstruating it could have been a sign that something was amiss, and should have been noted by staff.
Dear Brother Buzz: Good points both.
Thanks.
E.
Sick and twisted beyond belief. Besides the employees and employers...look at "family" members and others that were visitors during that time.
I wonder, too, what will happen to that child? Such a sad story.
Hadn't thought of that. Hopefully it will not turn out to be a family member or friend. This is sick enough as it is.
This is sick enough as it is.
So true! Unfortunately we all know better...
Seems unlikely...how could they not know?
Does a person feel pain in a her state? I though they didn't. Why would she be moaning?
Unfortunately it's not a one size fits all answer, some may feel pain (to varying degrees) and some may not
You'd be surprised. I thought the same thing until a bartender i know went into labor at work. No one knew she was preggers, especially her. Crazy i know but i saw it happen. Not sure how she didn't know but i was there when she went into labor. She clearly didn't know what was happening to her. Pretty wild!
She gave birth that day to a healthy baby boy who is doing just fine today.
Thank goodness. With no prenatal care it could have been just the opposite.
There are so many different changes effecting the entire body it is mind boggling that no one would know.
But this woman would be receiving medical care since she was in a vegetative state. If medical personnel cannot tell when a woman they are caring for is pregnant they are a problem. I am not saying it couldn't happen, but it would seem to be highly unlikely.
I know ..... i've never seen anything like it. Its crazy by todays standards.
That said the human body can be a damn tough and resilient thing. She and her baby are living proof of that.
Yeah its abhorrent to say the least and i am not trying to defend it in the least. Heads need to roll and that's got to be plural not singular.
The setting i mentioned was clearly not managed care. In fact it was amazingly unmanaged since she had no idea she was pregnant.
The minute you think you've seen everything, something like this happens.
I am not and would never insinuate you defending this. You are not that type of person.
I was just saying it is hard for me to believe that no one in that facility knew she was pregnant. And you are correct a lot of someone's need to have their heads served up on a silver platter.
She is not in a coma. She is in a vegetative state. There is a level of consciousness, which makes this even more horrible since she probably knew she was being raped and could do nothing about it.
horrible just horrible
I don't know what's worse....being unconscious and not knowing you're being raped or being in a state where you can't even scream for help but know what's going on
being in a state where you are aware has to be far worse imho
One step further, laying there for nine months knowing what is happening........
Whoever did this or had a part in this, is deserving of some very severe retribution........
I just don't know what to say. I feel so bad for this woman and her family.
Makes you wonder what kind of care this woman received at this facility that no one knew she was pregnant. In a vegetative state do women still menstruate? If they do then HELLO!!!!! If not no one noticed the woman's body changes when they moved her around, or did she lie in that bed in dirty sheets for nine months? So many thoughts about this and I feel physically ill.
I have to agree. I don't get how they didn't notice that her stomach was swelling. And yes all bodily functions work in this state.. even in coma.
There's definitely neglect going on here if the staff didn't notice a swelling stomach or lack of monthly menses.
I watch a lot of Law and Order
i disrupt a lot
of law and order, but
this story is way off the charts
Keeping in line with your theme, when someone is in this state wouldn't the facility have a doctor or nurse come by regularly to check vitals and other tests. How could this be missed......
This is simply a horrible betrayal to the patient and their family. To be a repeatedly victimized and no one noticed.
They all should be held accountable. They may not have performed the rape but their silence enabled it to continue. I wonder how many other patients have been victimized and raped.
In this type of situation, when there is one, there is probably more.
I'll bet the condom broke......
NWM! I'm shocked.
Why?
This is a lot more common (raping comatose patients) that anyone wants to realize. The wife was a nurses aide in quite a few nursing homes, 22 years worth of nursing homes. That was her opinion.....
yuck
ABSOLUTELY!!!!
Sick fuking perverted! (pardon my language)
Perhaps it's time for cameras in some rooms. Reminds me of an article, maybe I read it here, of a son who hid a camera for his father and caught the aides abusing his father.
My mom has home health care aides, and I have WiFi cameras around her apartment (partly so I can check in on her at night when the aides aren't there, and talk to her through the cameras if she were unable to reach the phone, but it also makes them aware that I can check up on them at any time). I suppose if someone really wanted to abuse her, they could take her into the guest bathroom (I have a camera on the floor in her bathroom, so I would see if she fell during the night, but obviously can't have one in the bathroom the aides use for legal reasons).
If she ever had to go into a facility, I'd absolutely put a camera in her room.
I have a parent in one right now. Great facility but he has Parkinson's with dementia.
Cameras are imperative for more than one reason in that regard
Surprised it didn't happen sooner. This is some straight up Kill Bill type shit.
Here is another article published today..
Me too.
To me, a rape conviction should always be a mandatory life sentence without parole.
Looks like an arrest has been made in this case.
From the article
Sutherland had been employed at Hacienda since about 2011.
"Every member of the Hacienda organization is troubled beyond words to think that a licensed practical nurse could be capable of seriously harming a patient," the facility said.
Thanks Jane
Sicko..hate to think how many other victims there maybe.
Hello Sunshine
I was thinking the same thing being he worked there since 2011.
Definitely a sicko!