News Two Doctors Lose Licenses After Killing Woman in Botched Abortion by Cheryl Sullenger | LifeNews.com | 6/3/13 10:54 AM The medical licenses of abortionist Iris E. Dominy and Mansour G. Panah summarily suspended on May 29, 2013, after Dominy was involved in the death of 38-year old Maria Santiago, who stopped breathing and suffered cardiac arrest while she was left unmonitored and unattended immediately after her abortion on February 13, 2013. A post-deprivation hearing has been scheduled by the Board of Physicians for June 12, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. Panah, an extremely troubled abortionist with a long history of sexual misconduct with patients, was acting as the Medical Director of the abortion clinic, Associates in OB/GYN Care located in a residential condo complex on Calvert St. in Baltimore, and was responsible for patient care at the time of Santiago's death. Panah and Dominy also work at Associates in Ob/GYN abortion clinics in Cheverly, Frederick, and Silver Spring, all of which are affiliated with the notorious illegal late-term abortionist Steven Chase Brigham of New Jersey. The Maryland Board of physicians concluded that both abortionists were so dangerous that "the public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires emergency action." The Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) had suspended the operating license of three Maryland Associates in OB/GYN Care clinics in March after Santiago's death was discovered during inspections that were conducted due to public pressure after the death of another abortion patient, Jennifer Morbelli, at Germantown Reproductive Health Services, a late-term abortion clinic operated by LeRoy Carhart. Inspectors also found that the defibrillator at the condo/clinic did not work and that the patient had been carelessly left unattended while under heavy sedation. No one noticed when Santiago stopped breathing, and no staff was adequately trained in CPR, including Dominy. As a result of the inadequate clinic conditions and the negligence of Dominy, Santiago died from Severe Pulmonary Edema, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and Hypoxia Brain Injury. The OHCQ reinspected the clinics on May 7 and found continued deficiencies at all four locations that posed a danger to the public and ordered suspension of abortion services again on May 9. Dominy is accused of "failing to perform surgical abortion services in a safe manner" and of "failing to develop appropriate post-anesthesia procedures and protocols." She also used unlicensed, unqualified workers to evaluate patients, perform and interpret ultrasounds, and dispense Misoprostol, a drug that causes strong, unpredictable uterine contractions, all without her presence at the abortion clinic. Panah was accused of allowing abortions to be started by unlicensed, unqualified workers at a facility that was not equipped to complete the abortion. Patient A was seen by an unqualified worker with no competency in ultrasounds. There were multiple gestational ages estimated from the incompetently performed ultrasounds in the patient's file. The worker none-the-less administered misoprostol to the patient to begin her abortion without a physician present. Later, the abortionist turned the woman away even though her abortion had been started because she was carrying twins and her uterus was the size of a 22 week pregnancy. Because Panah was the Medical Director, it was determined that he posed a danger to the public. Panah's long history of discipline started in 1988 when he was accused of fondling and attempting to kiss his patients on the mouth. He was disciplined once again for unwanted sexual contact with patients in 1995. One woman received as many as three breast examinations in one visit for no medical reason. When asked why the need for repeated examinations, Panah simply expressed admiration for the woman's breasts. In 2011, Panah was again disciplined for shoddy plastic surgery methods and sloppy record-keeping. "The emergency license suspensions of Dominy and Panah raise other serious questions concerning patient safety in Maryland and elsewhere," said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. "Why is Steven Brigham allowed to continue operating his chain of shoddy abortion clinics that endanger women and have now claimed the life of Maria Santiago? Brigham and all his abortion quacks should be banned from coming within a mile of a medical facility." Another concern is why the death of Santiago led ultimately to license suspensions while LeRoy Carhart, who was responsible for the death of Jennifer Morbelli on February 7, 2013, is allowed to continue operations as usual. Morbelli died of complications to a 33-week abortion that developed after Carhart left the state and was unreachable for emergency assistance. http://www.lifenews.com/2013/06/03/two-doctors-lose-licenses-after-killing-woman-in-botched-abortion/?pr=1  Four Maryland abortion clinics shut down and three doctors suspended for 'lax procedures' after patient dies in care of untrained worker Thursday, June 6 2013 • Four Maryland abortion clinics shut down and three doctors suspended for 'lax procedures' after patient dies in care of untrained worker • Dr Iris Dominy has had her license suspended 'for allowing unlicensed staff to give patients drugs at Baltimore clinic' • One of her patients, 38-year-old Maria Santiago, died after she was left alone with an untrained employee • Dr Michael Basco and Dr Mansour Panah also suspended; said it was 'standard procedure' to administer drugs with no doctor present • Clinics affiliated with Dr Steven Brigham, who has had his license suspended in five states and was once charged with murder Four Maryland abortion clinics have been shut down and three doctors have had their licenses suspended after a patient died at one clinic and regulators say they found lax procedures at all four. The clinics, run by Associates in OB/GYN Care, were shuttered last month after state regulators received a complaint about a patient receiving an abortion-inducing drug with no doctor present. The patient, 38-year-old Maria Santiago, underwent the procedure on February 13 in Baltimore and was 'still very drowsy' when she was allegedly left in the care of an unlicensed medical assistant. She suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and died later at a hospital. Regulators said her doctor, Iris Dominy, had failed to use a defibrillator - which was later found to be broken. Dominy is one of the three suspended doctors, according to the Maryland Board of Physicians. Two more, Drs. Michael Basco and Mansour Panah, have also had their licenses suspended. Scene: Three doctors have had their licenses suspended after a patient died at an abortion clinic, located in this complex in Baltimore, in February after she was being watched by an untrained worker The allegations appear in documents posted online by the state Office of Health Care Quality, which regulates the clinics - in Baltimore, Cheverly, Frederick and Silver Spring - and ordered them to close. The clinics are affiliated with American Women's Services, a company controlled by Dr. Steven Brigham, a beleaguered abortionist whose license has been suspended or revoked in five states. He was at one point charged with murder for late-term abortions, but the charges were dropped. Dominy lost her license because unlicensed employees at the clinic were dispensing drugs to patients, the regulators noted, not because of the patient's death. Basco was on duty at the Baltimore clinic on May 4 when an unlicensed clinic employee performed an ultrasound on a patient and found that the woman was carrying more than one fetus. The employee then gave the woman misoprostol, a drug that's used to induce abortions, according to the Maryland Board of Physicians.  The clinics are affiliated with Dr Steven Brigham, above, who has had his license suspended in five states 'LEFT ALONE TO DIE': THE DEATH OF MARIA SANTIAGO The patient who died after visiting the Associates in OB/GYN Care in Baltimore on February 13 was 38-year old Maria Santiago. Santiago was 12.5 weeks pregnant at the time of the abortion and her doctor, Iris Dominy told Maryland Department of Health inspectors that Santiago slept through her abortion. The doctor then left the woman in the room with an unqualified worker, according to the inspector's report. The worker filled out paperwork as Santiago lay on the table. She later called for a second worker to help her move Santiago to the recovery area. The second worker noticed Santiago was pale and not breathing, and they notified Dominy. No one at the clinic had current CPR certification, and there was no attempt to use a defibrillator, which was found to be broken. Santiago's death certificate showed she died from Severe Pulminary Edema, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and Hypoxia Brain Injury. It is unknown how long she went without breathing. Inspectors found staff failed to provide proper post-anesthesia care and observation. After the patient took the drug, Basco arrived and determined that the patient needed a surgical abortion because the multiple fetuses had made her uterus larger, the board said. Basco told the patient she would have to go elsewhere for a surgical abortion, they said. Basco and other staff told regulators it was standard procedure in the clinics for patients to be given misoprostol at 11 weeks or later, regardless of whether a doctor was present, the board wrote. Panah, the medical director of the clinics, was responsible for patient care at the time of Santiago's death.He previously had his license suspended by the board in 1988 for sexual contact with three patients and again in 1995 for sexual conduct with another patient. In 2011, he was placed on two years of probation by the board for failing to meet appropriate standards for delivery of quality medical and surgical care. Bardos, who also represents Panah, said the allegations related to wrongdoing at the abortion clinics do not involve his client. He said the previous sexual contact cases 'involved kisses'. Marc Cohen, the attorney for Dominy, said that most of the allegations were broad and do not directly involve his client, and that the patient's death at the Baltimore clinic was not her fault. He said the allegation that unlicensed workers administered drugs on her watch was false. 'She's a well-trained, well-qualified and well-experienced doctor,' Cohen said. 'There just appears to be something that happened to that particular patient, but there wasn't anything wrong with the procedure as far as we know.' Lax procedures: The doctors and other clinic employees said it was standard procedure for patients to receive abortion-inducing drugs, like those pictured, whether a doctor was present or not A hearing on the suspensions of the doctors' licenses is scheduled for next Wednesday. Bardos has requested a hearing before an administrative law judge on the closure of the clinics. That hearing has not yet been scheduled, he said. Richard Bardos, an attorney who represents Associates in OB/GYN Care, said Dr Steve Brigham is not the owner of the clinics or the LLC. He declined to identify the owners. But Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, or NAF, which represents abortion providers, said it was common knowledge among providers that the Maryland clinics belong to him. 'It's not surprising that his four Maryland clinics have been suspended,' Saporta said. 'We have been an advocate for his substandard clinics being shut down wherever they operate in the country.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336871/Four-Maryland-abortion-clinics-shut-doctors-suspended-lax-procedures-patient-dies-care-untrained-worker.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#comments Three Maryland Abortuaries See Their Licenses Suspended Saturday, March 9, 2013 As a result of the letter written by seventeen members of the Maryland House of Delegates, officials at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (finally) started inspecting the abortuaries to whom they granted licenses. Said Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein to the Baltimore Sun, "the department is proceeding on the schedule it originally proposed, which called for issuing licenses in early 2013, followed by inspections. He said the system is working as it should." So if I understand Mr. Sharfstein correctly, the "schedule" calls for issuance of licenses before ascertaining whether or not the facilities meet the standards prerequisite for those licenses? Whatever happened to "safety for women"? As far as "the system working as it should", that's utter bullcrap (pardon the "french" but sometimes delicacy must yield to accuracy), given not only Jennifer Morbelli's death in February, but that of another woman in Baltimore who died at another prematurely-licensed abortuary in Baltimore. That woman died of cardiac arrest and it was discovered that the defibrillator on hand was non-functional - and the abortionist was not cpr-certified. This second woman died at Associates in OB/GYN Care on North Calvert Street in Baltimore. The Department suspended its license, as well as two other abortuaries that are also called Associates in OB/GYN Care; those locations are in Cheverly and Silver Spring. Here is the website for the Silver Spring location. Note that all three of these seem to be under the umbrella of American Women's Services. This network is connected with Steven Chase Brigham. Here is previously-published information about his chequered careeer. This Silver Spring abortuary is at 9801 Georgia Avenue - the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road. Please note that this abortuary is not to be confused with Ob/Gyn Associates located at 1400 Forest Glen Road, the campus of Holy Cross Hospital. The inversion of words in their names and their physical proximity can be confusing (deliberately so?). Now let's see the Department get around to inspecting Germantown Reproductive Health Services and some of the other hell-holes. http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2013/03/three-maryland-abortuaries-see-their.html Three Maryland Abortion Clinics Have Their Licenses Suspended By Steven Ertelt | Life News | 3/11/13 1:23 PM SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - South Dakota can require doctors to warn women seeking abortions that they face an increased risk of suicide if they go through with the procedure, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Inspections of the abortion clinic revealed they were continuing to violate state health and safety laws after the initial violations that prompted the state investigations in the first place. The inspections were prompted by a letter from seventeen Maryland House Delegates raising concerns about abortion clinic safety after Jennifer Morbelli. Investigators discovered a second abortion-related patient death had occurred at one of Brigham’s abortion clinics in Baltimore that is located in a residential condominium complex. The woman was said to have had a previous health condition that contributed to her suffering cardiac arrest at the time of the abortion. According to the Baltimore Sun, “The physician who performed the abortion at Associates in OB/GYN Care LLC on North Calvert Street wasn’t certified in CPR and a defibrillator at the facility did not work, state officials said in a letter Friday to the General Assembly.” Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, who has been closely following Morbelli’s death and the aftermath, commented on the suspensions. “Ignoring a health condition that might contraindicate abortion, one of Brigham’s shoddy abortionists proceeded with surgery at a residential condo unit without the necessary certification or emergency equipment required to treat the patient in the event a complication arose. Because of this negligence, he was unable to provide emergency care that could have saved her life. It is beyond belief that the State of Maryland would allow these dangerous Brigham affiliates to continue to operate in the state,” he told LifeNews. Newman also provided background information on Brigham and previous problems he has had killing and injuring women at his abortion clinics and violating health laws. Brigham and another abortionist, Nicola I. Riley, were arrested and charged with murder after police raided a secret late-term abortion mill they were illegally operating in Elkton in 2010. A botched abortion that resulted in a ruptured uterus and other injuries alerted authorities to the site where 35 corpses of viable late-term babies were discovered in a freezer. The charges were dropped after an expert witness for the prosecution bowed out of the case under pressure from the abortion lobby. It was that incident that instigated the new abortion clinics licensing law that took effect in July, 2012. The two other abortion clinics that were suspended by the state were American Medical Group affiliates in Cheverly and Silver Spring. A representative of the clinics told the Baltimore Sun that they are owned by Integrity Health in Pennsylvania and are listed on Brigham’s American Women’s Services web site only because “they help with our online presence and other marketing efforts.” However, Operation Rescue previously discovered that Integrity Health is a shell organization that Brigham placed in a family member’s name after Brigham was banned by the State of Pennsylvania from operating or controlling any abortion clinics in that state citing violations that endangered the public after the discovery of a series of botched abortions and illegal practices. He has a history of hiring troubled abortionists that are among the worst in the country. (Read about their backgrounds.) “Brigham is playing a shell game with authorities to keep open abortion businesses that are dangerous to women. Brigham has repeatedly shown an arrogant disregard for the law that has caused him to be expelled or suspended in every state where he ever held a medical license,” said Newman. Currently, Brigham holds a medical license only in the state of New Jersey, which remains under suspension. An abortionist associated with the suspended Cheverly clinic, Mehrdad Aalai, was criminally convicted of Medicaid fraud in 1993, and more recently had his license temporarily suspended in 2011 over a horrifically botched late-term abortion that nearly killed a patient. The license suspension of the three clinics means they can no longer do surgical abortions until the violations are corrected, however, they can stay open and provide nonsurgical services. “These abortion mills should be permanently closed. We appreciate Maryland taking steps to inspect, but they authorities there need to take a harder line against these abortion clinics that operate under shady circumstances at the expense of the lives and health of women,” said Newman. This doctor is still plying his trade at multiple locations throughout the State of New Jersey. |
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