Arizona grants license for care facility where rape occurred

PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix long-term care facility where an incapacitated woman was raped and then gave birth now has a state license to operate.

Hacienda HealthCare on Tuesday said the Arizona Department of Health Services approved the license last week and it is valid for 11 months.

Hacienda is the first intermediate care facility in Arizona to be licensed since the 1990s, when lawmakers approved an exemption for them.

But the Legislature reversed course in the wake of a female patient's sexual assault.

The facility is now under state oversight as part of an effort to overhaul its operation, policies and procedures.

Authorities say Hacienda staff had no idea the 29-year-old woman was pregnant until she gave birth in December.

A male nurse has pleaded not guilty to raping her.