PHOENIX - In a scathing tweet storm Friday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey demanded the removal of Hacienda HealthCare's entire leadership, after a report in the Arizona Republic that they failed to act on staff complaints of abuse by the longtime chief executive.
"I am sickened by what's been disclosed about the rape and subsequent childbirth by a disabled woman at Hacienda HealthCare," the governor tweeted. "I'm appalled by the latest disclosure about the senior leadership's behavior and the lack of action by its board of directors."
"The senior leadership in that enterprise needs to be completely replaced. That includes the Board of Directors, every one of whom should be terminated immediately."
But speaking to reporters an hour later after a corporate ribbon-cutting in Gilbert, the governor acknowledged the limits of his power to oust the board of a private business.
"In terms of the shareholders of Hacienda, I'll leave it to them. But I'll tell you they're going to be held accountable through our legal system," Ducey told reporters.
Hacienda HealthCare, a Phoenix facility that provides long-term care for adults with intellectual disabilities, has drawn international attention after news reports that a patient who is non-verbal and cannot move on her own gave birth to a baby boy on Dec. 29. Hacienda staff never knew she was pregnant.
On Wednesday, Phoenix police arrested Nathan Sutherland, 36, a Hacienda nurse, on charges of rape and abusing a vulnerable person.
Hacienda is under siege on several fronts:
-Phoenix police have launched a criminal investigation
-Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley was hired to do an internal investigation
-State regulators have ordered more than two-dozen corrective actions
-Regulators demanded that an outside manager take day-to-day responsibility for the hospital
-Hacienda is already fighting a 2-year-old lawsuit alleging it overbilled the state by almost $3 million in just one year, 2014.
An Arizona Republic report Thursday detailed Hacienda staffers' sexual harassment complaints against Bill Timmons, the longtime chief executive officer, and the Hacienda board's failure to take punitive action against him.
Timmons quit in early January as the scandal mushroomed. He has not responded to requests for comment.
On Twitter, the governor also went off on Timmons:
Former Department of Economic Security Director Tim Jeffries has told 12 News Timmons would brag about his access to Ducey when Jeffries confronted Timmons over Hacienda's apparent overbilling and refusal to share financial information.
On Friday, Ducey denied having any relationship with Timmons, aside from the $4,000 Timmons donated to Ducey's 2014 campaign for governor.
"I don't know this individual," Ducey said. "I know he was a contributor to my campaign in 2014... I looked if he was in my personal contacts, he wasn't. I don't know him, if I do know him, I've met him at an event, where you take pictures."
Hacienda HealthCare responded to the governor Friday in a statement that acknowledges Ducey's "deep concern" but avoids his demand that directors step down:
"At the heart of Gov. Ducey's tweets is a deep concern for the patients of Hacienda HealthCare. Every member of our staff and member of the Board shares the Governor's concerns.
Bill Timmons, the former CEO of Hacienda, has left the organization and new leadership has been put in place. In response to recent events, Hacienda has aggressively revamped its security infrastructure, overhauled its care policies and changed its organizational culture.
The two doctors who cared for the victim in this awful case no longer see Hacienda patients. Former County Attorney Rick Romley has been engaged in a comprehensive internal review to ensure no Hacienda patient is ever again victimized in any way. And we have done everything in our power to cooperate with the state and law enforcement.
In addition to these leadership and organizational changes, Hacienda has agreed to the State of Arizona's request to have a third-party management team in place to oversee patient care and daily operations.
The object, again, is to ensure that not a single Hacienda patient is in danger or receiving anything less that top-flight care. This contract should finalized in short order, with the third-party manager ready to have personnel on the ground Monday and begin full oversight on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
These efforts will not stop. These are not cosmetic changes.
Rather, this organization intends to do everything in our power to restore its credibility with our patients, their families, the public and Gov. Ducey. As he does, we, too, believe that no patient in Hacienda's care can ever again be placed in harm's way."