SALT LAKE CITY — A medical worker at Primary Children’s Hospital has been accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old patient.
According to charging documents, the young patient was at Primary’s recovering from a medical procedure. The victim said during the night, medical technician David Elijah Jensen, 22, came into his room, lifted up his gown and touched him.
Jensen is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail. He could face up to 15 years in prison.
According to Primary Children’s Hospital, Jensen started working at the hospital in 2011 as a volunteer, and was later hired as an employee. The hospital said Jensen was immediately suspended and subsequently terminated from his position at Primary’s.
Primary Children’s Hospital released this statement regarding the situation:
Primary Children’s Hospital staff and physicians were devastated to receive a report of sexual assault of a patient by an employee. The employee, David E. Jensen, was immediately suspended, subsequently terminated and has been arrested. He worked at the hospital since September 2011, first as a volunteer, then as an employee.
The idea that one of our own employees would harm a patient violates every principle of this hospital, its physicians and staff members, who have devoted their lives to caring for children. We have expressed our profound regrets and apologies to the family. We continue to offer them Primary Children’s support and services. We are deeply grateful for the courage of those who reported this to us and for the immediate response of law enforcement with whom we are working closely.
The safety of our patients is our highest priority. We are reminding everyone to continue to be vigilant and to report any concern they may have.
We remain committed to maintaining a safe, healing environment for all children.
