The nursing home that went under police investigation after a woman in a vegetative state gave birth, was previously cited after multiple staff members walked in on a nude patient.
The Hacienda HealthCare nursing home in Phoenix said it corrected the privacy deficiency by promising that staff members would undergo additional training, according to a file (pdf) from the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services.
A licensing certification specialist 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.
“You have alleged that the deficiencies cited on that survey have been corrected. We are accepting your allegation of compliance and presume that you have achieved substantial compliance,” wrote Belinda Hernandez.
The citation stemmed from a male patient informing investigators that while he was being bathed by one staff member, other staffers would regularly walk into the area, reported People magazine.
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 with no legitimate reason 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.
DISTURBING DETAILS: “None of the staff were aware that she was pregnant until she was pretty much giving birth.”
Investigation Launched
The nursing facility is being probed after a woman who was in a vegetative state for 14 years gave birth there in late December 2018, reported KPHO.
“None of the staff were aware that she was pregnant until she was pretty much giving birth,” a source told the outlet, adding that it wasn’t known until the woman started moaning. “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 the woman’s room to be accompanied by a female staffer.
Hacienda HealthCare spokeswoman Nancy Salmon declined to comment on the case, citing privacy laws and the ongoing investigation.
The Phoenix Police Department confirmed the matter is under investigation.
On its website, the business describes itself as “Arizona’s leading provider of specialized health care services for medically fragile and chronically ill infants, children, teens, and young adults as well as those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
According to The Merck Manual, a vegetative state is when a patient’s functions are working as normal except for cognitive function.
Karina Cesena, the mother of another patient at the facility, said she was horrified by what had happened.
“Trust has been broken,” Karina Cesena told KPHO. “Trust has definitely been broken.”
Cesena is now staying with her 22-year-old daughter, who has a traumatic brain injury, around the clock until the suspect is found.
“I do not [know if my daughter was victimized], but I do ask her, and she can answer yes or no,” Cesena said. “She is not able to walk or talk yet, but she does understand.”
