Arizona imposed no fine, suspension or license revocation on Sunshine Residential Homes after 9-year-old Jakob Blodgett died following missed insulin doses at one of the company’s group homes in 2022.
The Associated Press reported that Blodgett, with Type 1 diabetes, went two days without the long-acting insulin he needed before bed. An employee texted a supervisor about elevated blood sugar; the supervisor said to give him water but provided no insulin instructions. Blodgett was hospitalized with brain swelling, placed on a ventilator and died from diabetes complications.
Direct-care employees said they had not received formal diabetes training, while a manager and administrator attended a two-day hospital session. A Department of Child Safety licensing official testified that workers failed to recognize diabetic ketoacidosis because staff caring for Blodgett lacked training.
Two weeks before approving a 30% rate increase for Sunshine in May 2023, the department issued a licensing violation in Blodgett’s case. Court records show it required corrective steps but imposed no fine or licensing penalty. The agency declined to identify the violated policy or disclose the changes.
Sunshine said it followed all policies and procedures required by state law. Its lawyers argued the state described Blodgett’s medical needs as minimal and did not explain their complexity. His family alleges negligence in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit.
Sunshine made $550,000 in political contributions, including $100,000 to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ inaugural fund and $150,000 to a legal defense fund for Hobbs. Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes found no quid pro quo supporting bribery charges and attributed the rate increase to Sunshine’s leverage as Arizona’s largest group-home provider. Hobbs says the department made the decision and she was uninvolved.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office continues investigating Blodgett’s death and has interviewed Sunshine employees. No one has been charged.
