Romley to lead probe of patient security
Inquiry follows assault of woman at care facility
Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley planned to say no when a representative of Hacienda HealthCare asked him last week to conduct an internal investigation of the Phoenix facility where a comatose patient was raped and gave birth.
He took a hard stance against sexual-assault suspects during his time as county attorney. This case, which he described as assault on one of the most vulnerable members of society, offended him personally.
His view on their proposition changed as he met with Hacienda’s leadership over the following days. The board of directors reassured him that they were committed to identifying and addressing the problem, even as he warned them the truth could be painful.
He told them he wouldn’t bury any unpleasant findings, but he said Hacienda’s leadership promised they were ready for whatever he uncovered.
“They assured me they wanted to find out what happened and correct
the situation,” Romley media briefing Monday.
Hacienda confirmed the hiring of Romley to lead an examination of patient safety at Hacienda de los Angeles Sunday. He spoke openly about the early stages of the investigation during the nearly hourlong news conference.
Hacienda’s board of directors has called the rape a “deeply disturbing matter” and in a statement said the board wants to determine exactly what happened and take steps to ensure it never happens again.
Romley’s internal inquiry will primarily focus on determining how the 29-year-old patient was raped and impregnated without staff ’s knowledge, but the scope of the review could also address the well-being of other patients and staff at the 60-bed facility.
For his first move, Romley pledged to review the security of the facility to prevent any future harm to other patients, specifically how visitors enter the buildings and the usage of security guards, cameras and door locks.
“We have to remember here we have a number of patients — some of the most vulnerable in our society,” he said. “They need to be taken care of and there needs to be assurances this organization will do everything it takes to correct the horrendous facts that led to the impregnation of this young woman.”
Hacienda has also agreed to hire an independent expert in health care to assist in reviewing the facility’s policies, including medical standards and staff interactions with patients. The twoperson team will have complete access to the staff and the facility.
They plan to report issues to the board as soon as they are identified. Any criminal wrongdoing will be forwarded immediately to police.
“I will not be part of any type of situation where law enforcement would not be provided information regarding the woman and all the facts and circumstances surrounding this,” Romley said.
State inspectors and police will continue to investigate at the same time. Romley said he would help facilitate and encourage Hacienda’s cooperation with those investigators.
Phoenix police are conducting a sexual-assault investigation, and multiple state agencies are involved. Investigators began obtaining DNA from male workers at the facility last week.
Romley won’t have access to DNA testing. He pledged to encourage leadership said during
ato push past and current employees to provide DNA voluntarily.
Staff members of Hacienda de los Angeles told police they didn’t know the woman was pregnant until she went into labor on Dec. 29.
The woman has at the 60-bed facility since she was 3, according to records, and was described as “incapacitated” and “unable to make any decisions or give consent due to her disability.”
A 911 call released by the Phoenix Police Department captured the panicked moments after the birth as a nurse at the facility told the operator that they had no idea that the woman was pregnant. The nurse was unable to answer the dispatcher’s questions about how long the woman had been pregnant.
The woman and the baby were taken to a hospital. Her family lawyer said the baby would be well cared for.
Romley hasn’t spoke to the woman’s family. He said he’s hesitant to reach out as he doesn’t want them to feel like he’s intruding, but he hopes they’ll speak with him during the course of the investigation to discuss the assault and any other previous issues with the facility.
This isn’t the first time Romley has encountered a case where a pregnancy went unnoticed. He referenced past molestation cases in which the victim’s parents failed to notice the child was pregnant until shortly before the birth.
Yet he questioned how doctors in this case could have missed the pregnancy given the woman was under round-theclock care.
“She was not a heavy woman ... she was slight,” he said. “I can’t get into any medical things because of HIPPA, but the fundamental question that has to be asked of the doctors was why wasn’t this noticed?”
Romley said he’s aware of other accusations against the victim’s doctors, Hacienda’s former President and Chief Executive Officer William Timmons and the company culture. He declined to comment on them, citing the early stages of his investigation.
“I need to get my arms around what’s going on inside of Hacienda,” he said.
Romley’s examination will be limited to patient safety. He said he has not been asked to look into allegations of fraud, waste or financial mismanagement that have surrounded Hacienda.
One of Hacienda’s primary goals is to restore the community’s trust in the organization, Romley said.
“They care deeply about their patients,” he said. “This has had an impact on them. The openness of what we do (during the investigation) will be critical to restoring trust.”