The unnamed woman gave birth at a Hacienda facility in Phoenix in late December 2018, leaving staff members stunned. Several days later, police opened an investigation.
Bill Timmons, Hacienda HealthCare’s longtime CEO, announced his resignation on Jan. 7.
“Timmons’s resignation was accepted unanimously by the Hacienda board of directors,” according to a statement from the company.
Gary Orman, executive vice president of the healthcare’s board, said in the statement that 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.”
“I want to assure our patients, their loved ones, our community partners, the agencies we do business with, Governor Ducey and the residents of Arizona, we will continue to cooperate with Phoenix Police and the investigating agencies at all levels in every way possible,” said Orman.
“And we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of every single one of our patients and our employees,” he said.
The statement was sent to news organizations but not posted on Hacienda’s website. There’s no mention of the investigation or how a vegetative woman gave birth on the site.
Timmons is still listed as the CEO on the site as of the morning of Jan. 8. His biography says that “Bill is without a doubt the heart and soul of Hacienda” and says he helped Hacienda expand from 63 clients to more than 2,550 in addition to expanding his workforce from 105 to 750.
“There was a nurse that was there, and from what I’ve heard she’s the one that delivered the baby,” the female source added, noting the baby was healthy.
Because of the possible sexual abuse, the facility has reportedly implemented a policy requiring any male staffers that enter a woman’s room to be accompanied by a female staffer.
“A person in a vegetative state may open their eyes, wake up, and fall asleep at regular intervals and have basic reflexes, such as blinking when they’re startled by a loud noise, or withdrawing their hand when it’s squeezed hard. They’re also able to regulate their heartbeat and breathing without assistance,” the foundation added.
“However, a person in a vegetative state doesn’t show any meaningful responses, such as following an object with their eyes or responding to voices. They also show no signs of experiencing emotions nor of cognitive function.”
The resident said that it happened “on many occasions” and that it “made him feel uncomfortable.”
One female staff member who bathed the man admitted that another female staffer came into the room. That staffer “just wanted to talk with her,” the employee explained.
The second staff member also admitted to walking into the room but blamed other employees, saying she had seen many other staffers do the same thing.
The staffer and the facility’s director of nursing said staffers usually went into the shower room to get supplies or to use it as a hallway.
A licensing certification specialist from the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services wrote to Brian Henrie, administrator of the facility, on Jan. 25, 2018, regarding a survey that was conducted at the facility on Dec. 13, 2017.
The facility vowed that the issue was corrected and that staff members would undergo additional training.