“There’s more that needs to be done to ensure Arizona is guarding against abuse and neglect. We will continue working with all stakeholders to take additional action, and hold bad actors accountable, to guarantee the highest quality of care and protection for Arizonans with disabilities,” said the governor.
An incapacitated woman was a victim of sexual assault at a long-term care facility
Ducey’s action comes a month after an incapacitated woman at Hacienda Healthcare facility gave birth on December 29. The staff at the facility didn’t know that their patient for ten years was pregnant. They only learned about it when she went into labor.
The Phoenix Police spent significant hours investigating the crime. Police officers collected DNA samples from all male employees of the facility. They identified and arrested a suspect named Nathan Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse. They charged Sutherland with sexually assaulting and impregnating an incapacitated woman.
Last month, Hacienda Healthcare’s CEO Bill Timmons resigned. Two of the doctors responsible for providing medical care for the victim are no longer working at the facility. The facility suspended one and the other resigned.
