GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A former employee at a Valley long-term care facility voluntarily surrendered his nursing assistant certificate after complaints allege he engaged in inappropriate conduct with a patient, documents state.
The Arizona State Board of Nursing received a complaint from staff at Palm Valley Post Acute, a long-term care facility in Goodyear. The complaints allege that Bobby Lee Williams, a certified nursing assistant, had sexual intercourse with a patient.
The complaint also alleges the patient is now pregnant, documents state.
The ASBN received the first complaint on Nov. 28, 2023.
In a second complaint received by ASBN from the Arizona Department of Health Services on Nov. 30, 2023, Williams allegedly confessed to having consensual sexual intercourse with a patient in or around June of 2023. Williams received his nursing assistant certificate on June 30, 2023.
During a telephone interview with Williams on Dec. 26, 2023, investigators asked him if he had consensual sexual intercourse with a patient. Williams told investigators the patient initiated contact first, but he did have sexual intercourse with the patient.
Williams requested to voluntarily surrender his nursing assistant certificate that same day.
The ADHS received the first report of the abuse by a concerned staff member on Nov. 17, 2023. The staff member told ADHS officials that a person accused of sexually abusing a patient was still employed at the facility. ADHS personnel "rushed to the facility to investigate the serious allegation," a statement from ADHS said.
After reviewing records and conducting interviews with staff, ADHS officials determined the patient was not properly protected from the staff member accused of sexual abuse and accused the facility of a "substandard quality of care." The department also said the facility did not send staff members to room in pairs, despite special instruction.
The department further determined that the facility was notified of the abuse on Nov. 3, 2023, but did not suspend the accused until 10 days later.
The facility self-reported the incident to ADHS on Nov. 18, 2023 – one day after the concerned staff member contacted the department and 15 days after receiving a report about the alleged abuse. ADHS has an ongoing investigation into the facility’s delayed report, officials said.
The suspect was terminated from his position on Nov. 20, 2023.
The facility was cited for subjecting a resident to abuse, not protecting the patient with established policies and procedures and not initiating an investigation into the alleged abuse within five days of the report.
"Federal regulators will now determine proper financial penalties for the facility," ADHS officials said. "We are grateful to the complainant for coming forward with detailed information and encourage others to make a report if you believe the health and safety of vulnerable adults may be compromised."
Dan Kramer, spokesperson for Palm Valley Post Acute, sent 12News the following statement:
"Palm Valley Post Acute’s priority is to provide exceptional care for our residents. We take our patients’ safety, security and wellness seriously. We‘re aware of the allegations against a former employee, and it is important for the community to know that the individual in question was swiftly terminated after we learned of the allegations. We self-reported the issue to the appropriate officials and are complying with all investigations."
Goodyear police confirmed to 12News that there is an "active investigation at this time," but did not share any further details.
This story has been updated to clarify that Williams held a certificate as a nursing assistant (CNA) and was not a nurse.
<< This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. Stay with 12News for the latest.
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