By Craig Harris | The Republic | azcentral.com 2:22 p.m. MST May 15, 2015
The Arizona Department of Health Services’ new director has placed the State Hospital’s chief executive and another top official on administrative leave amid a Phoenix TV station’s investigation into the facility for severely mentally ill patients.
Donna Noriega, the hospital’s CEO, and Cory Nelson, her predecessor and most recently the interim ADHS director, were put on paid leave Thursday, according to Gov. Doug Ducey’s office.
The moves came just before ABC 15’s broadcast Thursday evening. The station said it conducted a two-year investigation of the facility. It alleged the hospital didn’t protect patients from sex abuse and that there was no internal investigation or reporting to outside authorities. The station also said the state withheld public records and only released documents following a court order.
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