Task force report recommends how to prevent what happened at Hacienda HealthCare

Stephanie Innes | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Behind the walls of embattled Hacienda HealthCare Despite recent headlines, Heidi Reid-Champigny believes Hacienda HealthCare has been the best home for her brother Robbie in his entire life.

A task force that Gov. Doug Ducey created after a woman with severe disabilities was raped and gave birth last year at a Phoenix care facility has issued recommendations to help prevent such incidents.

Improved reporting requirements, better training for workers and a statewide campaign that urges people to report abuse are among the suggestions in the report delivered to Ducey on Friday.

Ducey's office issued a statement reiterating that safety is a high priority.

"Over the coming days and weeks, we will be reviewing the recommendations in coordination with our state agencies and taking steps to implement them with the goal of ensuring that all of Arizona's most vulnerable citizens are kept safe from abuse and neglect."

The effort comes after the incident at Hacienda HealthCare grabbed national and international attention.

On Dec. 29, a 911 call details a staffer at the facility shocked as the non-verbal woman gave birth when they did not know she was pregnant.

Nathan Sutherland, 37, a licensed practical nurse who was one of the woman's caregivers at the facility, was arrested about a month later. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse.

The family of the woman removed her and the baby from Hacienda HealthCare. They filed a multimillion-dollar notice of claim against the state in May, saying Arizona did an "abysmal job" monitoring the facility.

State's role

Arizona did not require Hacienda HealthCare and other intermediate care facilities to be state licensed. That changed this year as state lawmakers passed legislation to require state licensing. Hacienda received a state license in April.

Though Hacienda is privately operated, it houses patients whose care is paid for through the state's Medicaid program and whose cases are managed by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

The state of Arizona is responsible for licensing residential facilities and investigates incidents of abuse, neglect and exploitation that occur in them.

The state’s Adult Protective Service division also is responsible for investigating allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults in the community at large. Many adults with disabilities, and other vulnerable individuals, do not reside in facilities.

Hacienda HealthCare is the only private intermediate level care facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Arizona. A handful of others are operated by the state.

A group of Hacienda parents has been fighting to keep the facility open in spite of the rape, and in spite of a subsequent report in June that maggots were found near the surgical incision of another patient.

Ways to prevent abuse and neglect

Some of the recommendations in the 28-page report include:

The state should improve coding, tracking and analyzing incidents of alleged abuse against vulnerable individuals.

Abuse incidents should clearly specify allegations of sexual abuse and specify the victim's disability within the constraints of privacy restrictions.

The state's Medicaid program and its contracted partners should develop searchable databases of direct care workers' credentials and professional development.

By Oct. 1, 2020, the Arizona Department of Economic Security and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment system should require contractors to prominently post signs that explain how to report abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Arizona should create a statewide public awareness campaign around the prevention of abuse, neglect and exploitation. The campaign should provide information about how to make a report, what happens after a report is made and whistleblower protections.

A care team should be in place to take care of the victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation, with attention to the special needs of vulnerable individuals and their families.

The 47-member Abuse and Neglect Prevention Task Force was formed in February. Members include family members, advocacy organizations, state agency leaders and tribal representatives.

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.

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911 call of birth at Hacienda HealthCare released The 5-minute, 11-second 911 call details the minutes after a woman at Hacienda HealthCare gave birth. Staff can be heard trying to resuscitate the baby.