ARTICLES
MAY 2005 ARTICLES
Contents © 2005
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Better Late Than Never?
Medical Board Finally Revokes Abortionists' Licenses
BY ROSA ORTEGA
The Medical Board of California has — belatedly — disciplined two Southland abortionists.
Phillip Rand, M.D., the 84-year-old abortionist who worked in Southern California abortion mills and had a long history of malpractice and license discipline, has surrendered his medical license. On September 15, 2004, Deputy Attorney General Steven Zeigen successfully argued for an interim suspension order, asking the court to suspend Rand's license. According to Zeigen's court documents, Rand placed "unsuspecting females at risk, because of his diminished medical skills and his reckless disregard for their safety."
The case of "Angela," a young Hispanic woman from Santa Ana, is illustrative of Rand's treatment. The California medical board had Dr. Joseph Kennedy review Angela's case and labeled Rand as "barbaric." On August 5, 2004, Rand had performed the 20-week abortion on Angela without adequate analgesia or anesthesia, and instead of doing a D and E (dismemberment and extraction) abortion, he used a suction machine. He then abandoned her to untrained personnel while she was bleeding heavily. When paramedics came, they found Angela in the so-called "recovery area" — a mattress laid on the floor of the office. Angela's blood pressure was 80/40, and her pulse was 160. She was transported to Saint Joseph's hospital in Orange County for emergency surgery to save her life.
A hearing to revoke Rand's license had been scheduled for March 14, 2005, but realizing that he would have his license taken away, Rand opted for surrendering it first.
The primary issue is not that an incompetent abortionist finally lost his license, but how such a physician could keep his license until the age of 84. Where was the state medical board in 1978, when Rand delayed an emergency Caesarian section and caused permanent brain damage to Terry Battle? A jury found Rand negligent and awarded some $4 million to the family. But since Rand had dropped his malpractice insurance in the 1970s, he had to supply the award money; Rand owned land and other investments worth millions. A few months after the court awarded the $4 million, Rand declared bankruptcy, and the family received nothing to help care for the disabled Terry. They lived in a one-bedroom apartment, with public assistance. Rand continued to live well in a pricey downtown San Diego high-rise.
In 1999, Rand admitted to negligence and was ordered to take remedial training courses. However, Rand later told the medical board that he had taken over 100 hours of medical classes, but he could only document one hour. In an accusation, filed in October 2003, instead of having his license revoked, Rand was charged with gross negligence, repeated negligence, incompetence, dishonest acts, and prescribing controlled substances to an addict. Although Rand was known by the California Medical Board as grossly incompetent, he was allowed to practice.
Rand had several sites for his abortion practice, all of them in Hispanic areas: American Alliance Medical Center, 1930 Wilshire Blvd, #500, Los Angeles; Clinica Latina Feminina, 7136 Pacific Blvd., #220, Huntington Park; Community Women's Medical Clinic, 117 W. 4th, Santa Ana; Family Planning Medical Clinic, 1125 East 17th, Santa Ana; and Clinica Medica Para La Mujer de Hoy, 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista.
Another abortionist, Glenn E. Miller, M.D., had his license revoked by the Medical Board of California based on a decision from Timothy Thomas, administrative law judge of Los Angeles, effective March 17, 2005. Deputy Attorney General Richard Avila, now retired, represented the medical board.
According to the decision issued by the medical board, Miller started abusing drugs and alcohol while in college and continued during his internship and residency. In 1999, in an accusation filed by the medical board, Miller admitted that he had been in treatment for drug dependency since 1991. He also admitted that in August 1996 he was intoxicated while on duty at Tulare District Hospital. On a second occasion, Miller performed a Caesarian section while drunk.
However, instead of immediately suspending or revoking his license, the medical board placed Miller on probation. During 1998 and 1999, Miller worked at Planned Parenthood in San Francisco and at Women's Community Medical clinic of San Jose, an abortion business operated by David Goldstein, M.D. and David Medelson, M.D.
Between 2000 and 2004, the Medical Board was made aware on at least four different occasions that Miller was either drunk or testing positive for drugs. During that time he commenced to work at the Women's Community Medical Clinic, also known as Clinica Medica Para La Mujer de Hoy, in Southern California, operated by Bertha Bugarin with Laurence Reich, D.O., who has a criminal conviction for sexual offense against patients. According to the medical board's decision, Bugarin testified that she had known Miller, had received no complaints about him, and "would welcome him back into the clinics."
Finally, in June 2004, Miller was terminated from the Diversion drug rehab program for failure to comply after four years of repeated failure. The medical board allowed Miller to perform surgeries during this time.
Hispanic Women the Target
BY JAIME MUJIA
Clinica Medica Para La Mujer De Hoy has been operated by a non-physician, Bertha Bugarin, for more than 12 years at several locations in Southern California.
In 1996 Bugarin's accountant, Salvador Manzur, contacted the Orange National Bank to ask for a loan for Bugarin's abortion business. In a letter (of which I have received a copy) Manzur detailed the role that Bugarin plays: "when a patient comes to Clinica Medica Para La Mujer de Hoy, they don't come to see Dr. Braemer or any other doctor in particular ... the success of the operation consists on the patients and on the concept which targets Hispanic women in certain key areas. The concept, the name, and the approach all belong to Bertha Bugarin."
Bugarin lists her six abortion sites as: 14673 Parthenia, Panorama City; 6011 Pacific Boulevard, Huntington Park; 4215 Maine Avenue, Baldwin Park; 2140 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles; 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista; and 120 W. 5th Street, #100, Santa Ana.
Bugarin promotes her abortion business with street flyers distributed in Hispanic shopping areas. Often she offers a "$10 Descuento con este Volante" — a discount.
In California it is unlawful for a non-physician like Bugarin to own/operate a medical office, so she gets doctors to front for her and hold a fictitious name permit with the state medical board. Currently, it is Dr. Laurence Reich, an osteopath, formerly of Beverly Hills, who has his name on the permit. Dr. Reich has a criminal conviction dating from 2002 for sexual exploitation of female patients. He has been accused as well of negligence, repeated negligence, and prescribing controlled substances to an addict.
Besides Doctors Rand and Miller (see accompanying article, "Better Late Than Never," this issue), physicians currently working, or who have worked, for Bugarin include:
Mohammed Bararsani, M.D. Arrested and charged with facilitating the unlicensed practice of medicine when he allowed an unlicensed man named Edgar Ruiz to present himself as a physician in his office. Bararsani's case was scheduled to go on trial April 2005.
Nichols Braemer, M.D. Long history of gross negligence and incompetence with probation discipline from the medical board. In 2000 his license was revoked for gross negligence and incompetence in doing abortions.
Mohammed Dia, M.D. Surrendered his license in 1999 when the medical board threatened to revoke his license for gross negligence, incompetence, and inadequate record keeping.
Gordon Goei, M.D. Probably had the longest and largest history of discipline and probation for gross negligence and incompetence of any doctor in California. While under suspended license, he committed a very late term abortion on Baby Sandoval in 1998, killing the child and almost killing the mother. Los Angeles police detectives reported being overwhelmed by the horror of the baby's mutilated body in the dumpster. The mother survived after receiving emergency surgery. Subsequently, Goei's license was revoked.
Kim Beauchamp, M.D. License revoked in 1997 for gross negligence, repeated negligence, and incompetence in the death of infant, Guadalupe Aguilar.
Nolan C. Jones, M.D. has a history of discipline with the medical board for negligence, repeated negligence, incompetence, and violation of probation. In 1997 he was thrown off staff at San Bernardino Community Hospital for, through neglect, causing the death of Baby Boy Carrillo in 1996.
Steven Turnipseed, P.A. The physician assistant committee of the medical board accused Turnipseed of gross negligence and repeated negligence and of performing abortions without a physician present. Though only a physician assistant, Turnipseed called himself "Dr. Steve" at Bugarin's abortion sites. In 2004 he admitted to all the allegations and was placed on probation for three years.