Phoenix-based Hacienda HealthCare announced July 19 that it plans to close Hacienda Children's Hospital in Mesa, Ariz., according to the Arizona Republic.
Hacienda Children's Hospital, a 24-bed facility that provides nonemergency services to children in need of step-down care, will remain open until all patients are discharged or until a new owner is secured, according to the report.
Hacienda HealthCare is closing the facility in Mesa after incurring "enormous unbudgeted costs" over the past year, interim CEO Perry Petrilli said in a statement to the Arizona Republic.
The company incurred unexpected legal expenses and costs associated with implementing new security measures at its intermediate care facility in Phoenix after a 29-year-old patient who had been in a vegetative state for 14 years gave birth to a baby boy Dec. 29. In January, one of the patient's male nurses was indicted on several charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult. He pleaded not guilty, according to the report.
"The tragic events of the past year have hit hard for so many people — everyone from the victim and the families impacted to Hacienda's employees to the communities we serve," Mr. Petrilli said, according to the report. "At the same time, there also has been a substantial impact to our business. This hard, but necessary decision is one more example of that."
Access the full Arizona Republic article here.
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