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Hacienda HealthCare had said on Thursday that it was no longer
"sustainable" to operate its skilled nursing facility in
Phoenix, where an unidentified patient in her 20s was raped, a
crime that only came to light after she gave birth in December.
"(The agreement) means Hacienda patients and families would be
allowed to stay in the home they've known for years while
ensuring new and enhanced protections and oversight are put in
place," said Patrick Ptak, a spokesman for Arizona Governor Doug
Ducey.
Ducey and state regulators had sharply criticized Hacienda's
decision to close the facility.
Hacienda said the company had already taken steps to ensure the
safety and welfare of the roughly three dozen patients at the
facility by adding surveillance equipment, increasing security
and improving training.
"Our patients, their families, our team members and the
community deserve nothing less than this commitment from us,"
the company said in a statement on Friday.
Ducey has urged the state attorney general to open an
investigation and to seek civil penalties against Hacienda and a
company reorganization.
A nurse at the facility, Nathan Sutherland, 36, was arrested in
January after investigators said they had linked him to the case
through DNA evidence. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in
jail.
The woman ultimately gave birth to a baby boy, who police say is
doing well and is being cared for by her family members.
Caretakers at Hacienda said they had no idea that the woman, who
was disabled by seizures during her early childhood, was
pregnant.
(Reporting by David Schwartz; Edited by Dan Whitcomb and Rosalba
O'Brien)
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