Chicago police investigating after woman says she was sexually assaulted at St. Bernard Hospital​on February 6, 2025 at 4:20 am

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago police are investigating after a woman says she was sexually assaulted by a respiratory therapist at St. Bernard Hospital.

Tiffany Washington, 46, said she has been a longtime patient of the Englewood facility; she was born there, as were her children, and she has been treated there throughout her life for asthma. That was why she was at the hospital the afternoon of Jan. 27.

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“It was time to get respiratory breathing at one o’clock,” she said.

Washington said instead of helping her breathe, her male respiratory therapist took his pants down and forced Washington’s hand onto his genitalia.

“I jerked away, I was trying to get up to go to the door and get out. He pushed me in the bathroom, he locked the door,” Washington said.

She said the respiratory therapist continued to sexually assault her in the bathroom. When he left, she said she screamed for help and called for nurses, but no one came. She went to the nurses’ station where she said no one responded until she demanded to see a hospital manager.

“The manager came. He wasn’t concerned about nothing. He made it seem like it’s like if I was lying on something, on his on his employees,” she said.

Washington called police and officers took her to the University of Chicago Hospital to get a rape kit. She is confident the DNA will match the therapist. Now she is speaking out because she wants the therapist to be charged and for St. Bernard Hospital to be held accountable.

“I want him to be prosecuted for this. I want Bernard to step up and, you know, admit that they was wrong, especially the manager, he totally didn’t act like he cared enough about my life,” she said.

In a written statement, a spokesperson for St. Bernard Hospital wrote, “As patient safety is our utmost priority, we took immediate steps to investigate the situation and we also are cooperating with the Chicago Police Department in its own investigation. Both investigations are ongoing at this time.”

While Washington waits for DNA results, the St. Bernard spokesperson could not say whether the employee has been placed on leave. The hospital said they cannot provide any more detail beyond what is in the written statement.

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