Adventist Health Hanford medical center image via Adventist Health Facebook page

Updated: 6/21/24

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday a settlement with Adventist Health Hanford following its illegal disclosure of the medical information of two patients that led to their arrest and incarceration.

Adora Perez and Chelsea Becker were both pregnant women seeking medical assistance at Adventist Health Hanford in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Both women suffered stillbirths at the hospital.

Following the stillbirths, Perez and Becker’s medical information was shared with law enforcement, leading to the arrest and subsequent murder prosecutions of each woman.

The women had a history of addiction and police suspected methamphetamine use was the cause of their stillbirths. Former Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes brought the charges.

Each patient was charged under California Penal Code section 187 for causing the death of a fetus due to drug use, and both served time in prison, with Becker spending 16 months in jail and Perez serving 4 years.

Bonta’s office issued a legal alert in January 2022 announcing that the Penal Code does not impose criminal liability in the case of a person carrying a fetus for causing a miscarriage or stillbirth.

“No woman should be penalized for the loss of her pregnancy,” said Attorney General Bonta in a Wednesday news release. “As we have said repeatedly, the wrongful imprisonments of both women due to unauthorized health disclosures to law enforcement were unlawful.”

Following an investigation, it was revealed that Adventist did not protect the information of both Perez and Becker, leading to the settlement.

The settlement includes a $10,000 penalty and injunctive terms requiring Adventist to safeguard patients’ health data.

Adventist will be required to provide training of medical personnel in a number of different areas including revisions to its policies and notice of privacy practices regarding when information may be disclosed to third parties, including law enforcement.

It must also report to the Attorney General’s Office within 10 days of future unauthorized patient record disclosures, as well as maintain systems put in place for anonymous reporting of suspected unlawful disclosures.

“Today’s settlement ensures that Adventist’s patients’ personal health information is handled with the utmost care and in compliance with the law, which will restore and enhance patient confidence,” Bonta added.

Update:

Adventist Health Hanford issued a statement to The Business Journal Thursday night, citing the reason for the settlement as an effort to move past the ongoing litigation.

Adventist said the two-year investigation by the Attorney General’s Office disclosed no evidence of illegal disclosures made by Adventist Health personnel and that the hospital will continue to follow all required reporting laws.

“Adventist Health is committed to inspiring health, wholeness and hope,” said Adventist Health Central California Network Patient Care Executive Heather Van Housen. “We are committed to taking care of mothers and babies.”