L-r: Bill Timmons; the exterior of Hacienda Healthcare's facility
The CEO in charge of a nursing facility where a woman gave birth despite being in a coma for over a decade has resigned. Hacienda HealthCare, the firm behind the Arizona nursing facility at the center of the case, issued a statement to The New York Times confirming that CEO Bill Timmons has stepped down from his role, a decision accepted by its board of directors. Timmons had been in his role for 28 years.“[We] 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,” said Gary Orman, executive vice president of Hacienda HealthCare’s board, in a statement to the Times. He emphasized their intention to cooperate with the authorities investigating sexual abuse on the facility.Timmons’ ousting comes after days of bad press for Hacienda HealthCare after reports first broke on January 4 that a women in a vegetative state had been sexually assaulted while under the facility's care. The woman, who has not been named, gave birth last month. Phoenix Police confirmed they’d be investigating the circumstances surrounding the child’s conception, and Arizona’s Department of Health Services told The New York Times that they’d also be inspecting the facility following the allegations.Concerns had been raised in the past about the treatment of patients at the facility. In 2013, the Arizona Department of Health Services found a male employee made sexually suggestive remarks about patients. Colleagues heard the male employee tell a patient they would have a “happy morning” because he had an erection. In 2017, the facility was criticized for failing to give patients privacy while they were naked or showering. And the facility was described as “much below average” and given a one-star rating by Medicare assessors.As the Times reports, Hacienda HealthCare has at least 74 patient beds. According to its mission statement, Hacienda Healthcare aims to "enrich the lives of individuals with special needs in a home-like atmosphere, to acknowledge each individual and each family as unique with distinct needs." Some residents have spent decades in the facility.
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While authorities attempt to get to the bottom of whether patients were sexually abused on site, Arizona Department of Health Services representatives have implemented stringent safety measures at the facility to ensure the safety of the remaining residents. “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,” said Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson Melissa Blasius-Nuanez in a comment issued shortly after the news broke.