Phoenix police investigating incident with patient at health care facility

PHOENIX — A health care facility in Phoenix is under investigation after a report surfaced of a patient who allegedly gave birth despite being in a vegetative state for at least a decade.

Hacienda HealthCare said in a statement through a spokesperson that it had “recently become aware of a deeply disturbing incident involving the health and safety of a Hacienda resident.”

The facility located near 16th Street and South Mountain Avenue said it is conducting an internal review and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement to get “to the truth of what, for us, represents an unprecedented matter.”

When asked about an incident at Hacienda HealthCare, Sgt. Tommy Thompson with the Phoenix Police Department said the “matter is currently under investigation” but did not provide more information. A police report was not made available Friday.

Melissa Blasius-Nuanez with the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a statement that the agency is aware of the situation and is working with law enforcement in its criminal investigation.

The department also “initiated an onsite complaint investigation” once it learned of the allegation, Blasius-Nuanez added, but did not give a date when the allegation was reported or what the investigation entailed.

Blasius-Nuanez said 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.”

The facility calls itself “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.”

Sexually assaulting a vulnerable adult is a felony in Arizona.

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