PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Health Services has issued new citations against the Palm Valley Post Acute care facility in Goodyear following further allegations of abuse and neglect, including a harrowing case where a former employee is accused of sexual assault. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the incidents came to light after a certified nursing assistant previously fired for sexual assault allegations was reported to have taken weeks before being reported by the facility.
An investigation in December 2023 uncovered chronic delays in reporting incidents that plagued the facility. AZDHS officials state that Palm Valley consistently failed to adhere to its established policies, which mandate reporting abuse allegations within two hours in cases of serious injury, or within 24 hours with no injury apparent. Despite these regulations, it was discovered that reported by the state a staff member accused of abuse in August 2022, albeit the individual claimed not to remember and subsequently was not suspended from duties, FOX 10 Phoenix detailed.
The care facility also did not report promptly when a resident alleged in November 2023 that she was picked up by a male employee and thrown onto a bed. "The manager said once the employee found out about the allegation, the accused employee should have been removed from the building," as recounted by a manager to AZDHS officials, with the alarming fact that they had been unaware of the claims until the victim's family came forward a day later, informed by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Another grim incident involved a 65-year-old man with dementia found deceased in December 2022. AZDHS officials disclosed that the resident had sustained a severe head bruise after tumbling from a wheelchair. However, a staff member found the resident dead which contradicts an earlier report stating the resident had only fallen, a discrepancy that accentuates the facility's negligence in reporting and monitoring. Further findings revealed residents regularly engaged in physical altercations albeit the staff also were presented with issues.
In response to these lapses, AZDHS has slapped the facility with five citations. Corrections were reportedly made by Palm Valley Post Acute back in February, though this latest round of infractions casts a grave shadow over the facility's capability to safeguard its residents. FOX 10 Phoenix reached out to representatives of the care facility but received no immediate response about the latest developments.
The case surrounding former CNA Bobby Williams, accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating a patient, remains under review by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
