Morgan Stanley, the true backers of ReachOut Healthcare America and their nasty mobile dental dungeons have been on this site several times the last few days. So has their PR people. Are they worried?
Shocked is more like it. I’m told their attorney’s about flipped, when they saw their employee, Dr. Alvin Coon, DDS attempt to hit the reporter with his car. I guess someone failed to mention that to them. Wonder what other surprises are in store.
Features the parents of little Isaac and the nightmares which haunt him; the mean dentist who “got” Isaac - Dr. Alvin Coon attempting to run over the reporter: and an Interview with the Gagnon family’s attorney,James Moriarty.
If you have inside information, are an ex-employee - like the one in this story- who wants to stop this child abuse or a parent whose child has suffered at the hands of these Mobile Dental vans, please email me. Surely we can stop this child abuse together.
It sounds like a good idea - mobile dentists sent to schools to provide dental care for needy children in classrooms and school parking lots. But some families are now crying foul, saying their kids were harmed by dentists drilling for dollars.
Darren and Stacey Gagnon say their four-year-old son Isaac was given two baby root canals and two steel crowns by a dentist scheduled to visit Isaac’s school after the school contracted with a company called ReachOut Healthcare America.
What’s worse, say the Gagnon’s, is that the dentist, Dr. Alvin Coon (who they never met) performed the operations without their consent in of all places - the school’ art room in Camp Verde, AZ.
“I couldn’t believe that they were doing these procedures in a classroom,” said Stacy Gagnon.
She also says Isaac was never given any anesthetic or medication to numb the pain.
Appears the Miami police are in the dentist arresting business this week. They have nabbed themselves another one today, adding Humberto Perez to the list along with Dr. Thomas Floyd. Arrested today were, Humberto Perez, 81, Maria Perez, 69 and their daughter, Odalis Hernadez Perez, 41.
(CBS) MIAMI, Fla.- Three people are being charged with child abuse after a dentist operating out of a home permanently disfigured a 14-year-old girl's teeth, CBS Miami reports.
On Wednesday, Miami police busted a couple and their daughter at their 'dental office' in Little Havana.
Humberto Perez, 81, Maria Perez, 69, and Odalis Hernandez-Perez, 41, were all charged with performing dental services without a license along with two charges of child abuse, a statement from Miami police spokeswoman Officer Kenia Reyes read.
The child abuse charges came after a 14-year-old's mother reported her daughter's teeth were permanently disfigured following her appointment at the clinic.
While the girl's mother and grandmother say that they saw a fully operational dentist office, Major David Magnusson of the Miami Police described the room as, "everything a dentist's office should not be."
The 14-year-old described the room to police as small, and full of pots, medical instruments and teeth.
As Humberto Perez conducted dental work on the girl, she reported feeling weak and sick. According to Perez's affidavit, he injected a syringe of prescription medication into her mouth and then started filing down her teeth.
The affidavit alleges that's when the girl told Perez she felt uncontrollable pain. Perez continued with the dental procedure anyway.
The arrest affidavit for Perez's daughter claims the 41-year-old told her dad, "Dad, I hate when you work on children. They always put on a show with the crying."
The girl lost several teeth during her two visits to the office and suffered from an infection that caused her teeth to separate from her gums. She is now being treated by a qualified doctor.
"The licensed dentist said that in his 30 years of experience, he has never seen anything as horrible as what they have done to this girl," Maj. Magnusson said.
As what usually happens, when a local news station airs the stories on children being abused by evil child abusing dentists, more parents come forward. So goes the case in Florida of Dr. Thomas Floyd.
Last evening, more parents have come forward, one parent whose child suffered being gut punched by Dr. Thomas Floyd 11 years ago, when her child was 3 years old.
Apparently Dr. Thomas Floyd has been a very very bad man for many years. Sucker punching innocent children, beating them black and blue. Busting their lips wide open. Parents have filed complaint, up to 25 in the last five years alone. What has the police in West Palm Beach, Florida done about this over the years, not one damn thing!
Apparently, the authorities in Florida think it’s perfectly reasonable for a man to beat children if he has some initials after his name, and someone refers to his as “doctor”. What have the employees of Dr. Thomas Floyd done over the years? They have assisted in the child abuse as far as I’m concerned and are just as guilty as he is! Shame on each and every one of you – from Dr. Thomas Floyd all the way down to the county/district attorney who has done NOTHING!
Rest assured there are thousand of children this man has beaten, punched, smacked, slapped and no telling what else over the years. Has he waterboarded children like, Megann Scott in Oklahoma? Yes, he probably has. [Update, September 11, 2012 2:42PM Just confirmed that this Dr. Thomas Floyd was in fact the dentist I was contacted about. I will also have to nibble on my words, and I don't mind doing that. It was people working at the clinic who took pictures and have evidence to nail this bastard.
For those who did, Big Round of Applause!!! For those who didn't, shame on them. Now, for the slow ass response from authorities, every child who was beaten since they were alerts, well, they have some responsibility in that! ] More patients of dentist accused of abuse coming forward
WEST PALM BEACH -- More allegations have come to light involving a West Palm Beach children's dentist.
Dr. Thomas Floyd was arrested last week for child abuse, for allegedly punching a 4-year-old boy in the mouth back in May of 2010. Now another parent says her child was punched too.
Crystal Rolle of West Palm Beach says in February of 2001, Dr. Floyd punched her daughter in the stomach when she was only 3-years-old to make her stop crying.
The girl, who's now 14, remembers what happened. Aaliyah Rolle, Dr. Floyd's former patient says, “He punched me and then he punched me again and I think I was crying more and screaming.”
Crystal Rolle, Aaliyah's mother says, “I don't think he should have anything to do with children or anyone for that matter.”
Crystal says Dr. Floyd was not charged in that incident 11 years ago, because police told her they didn't have enough evidence. There were no eyewitnesses and police couldn't take the word of a 3-year-old. Dr. Floyd is free on $3000 bond.
He denies abusing any children and says he's innocent.
The Department of Health suspended Floyd’s license to practice dentistry after his arrest Friday.
By Scott T. Smith / CBS12.com WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A West Palm Beach pediatric dentist has been arrested on a child abuse charge, accused of beating up a 4-year-old boy during a dental procedure in 2010.
Thomas P. Floyd, 61, of 258 Golden River Drive in Tequesta, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail Friday afternoon, and state officials issued an emergency order to suspend his license to practice dentistry, with multiple allegations of further abusive incidents involving other children (details below). The state also alleges he used unhygienic practices, including failing to change gloves or instruments between patients.
About 25 complaints have been filed against Floyd with West Palm Beach Police since 2006, the state noted.
According to a probable cause affidavit for Floyd's arrest, West Palm Beach Police responded to a 9-1-1 call on May 5, 2010, from Floyd's office at 400 Executive Center. Witnesses reported hearing a child screaming and crying in one of the exam rooms and the boy later told police that "the doctor went pow pow on my face" ... "and it hurt."
At the time, no employees said they witnessed the incident, but several advised "this was an ongoing problem with Floyd being physically abusive to patients."
The responding officer noted the child had an injured lip, but Floyd said the child bit it during a procedure to cap several teeth.
The child's mother took photos of the injuries and took him to the pediatric unit at St. Mary's Medical Center, where records noted the boy had a tear under his tongue, multiple cuts on his lips and a laceration on his gums. His lips were swollen and had dried blood on them.
An investigator met with the mother and child on April 5, and a Child Protection Team interviewed him a week later and his stories were consistent that the dentist had hit him in the face several times.
Dennis Yamashita DDS, Chairman and Director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Los Angeles County/USC, Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, is charged with incompetence, gross negligence, and multiple counts of negligence for his treatment of a 44 year old who died under general anesthesia that he administered while performing a biopsy in his office in 2009. Dr Yamashita has been involved in the training of dental oral surgery residents for many years in Los Angeles and currently remains at this position as the Program Chairman and Residency Director at USC and affiliated hospitals.
The California State Dental Board, according to an online public record released a few months ago on its website (http://www.dbc.ca.gov/) is moving to revoke his license to practice and general anesthesia privileges for incompetence -- presumably for treating this patient without prior consultation or consideration of her extremely high blood pressure and other medical problems that resulted in her having suffering a stroke under his care, failing to do a proper medical examination prior to anesthesia, failure to control the patient's high blood pressure on two occasions (she had had a prior surgery at his office a year before), failure to keep proper records during the surgery and anesthesia, and failure to call emergency services until 7 hours after the surgery and anesthesia were completed.
Is this the role model of the standard of care representing our current crop of dental trainees?
Just minutes after 10-year-old Marcos Tirado received anesthesia at a local dental office, he was rushed to the hospital.
The Lamar Elementary School fifth-grader died two days later.
It’s a pain no parent wants to endure.
The loss of a child, that’s too young to be gone. It’s a hard reality for the Tirado family in Harlingen.
He was undergoing a tooth filling at Harlingen Family Dentistry off Dixieland Road.
"Every time there was a procedure there was a lot of precautions that had to be done, the time we took him to the dentist, the doctor said it was a simple procedure, but obviously is wasn't." said Marcos Tirado, Sr.
Marcos had a medical condition called Treacher-Collins syndrome; and certain precautions need to be followed.
The family said they made doctors and nurses aware before the procedure.
When they were told Marcos would need to use a gas to keep him calm.
His father showed concern but says the staff assured him it was perfectly safe and routine.
But 10 minutes into the procedure, something went terribly wrong.
"I thought he was in just a little pain, but obviously he was unable to breathe, he just stopped," the grieving father said.
Marcos was rushed to the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen where doctors were able to revive him.
He stayed in a coma as his parents prayed for a miracle.
But by Wednesday evening, Marcos passed away leaving his family heartbroken.
"He was with us for 10 years and even though he went thru a lot medically he was a happy boy,” the boy’s father recalled. “He surprised us many times but when it’s time to go God gives the call..that's what it is, we'll respect that."
Action 4 News contacted the Harlingen Family Dentistry for comment.
They said they were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Marcos Tirado, Jr. but due to federal patient privacy laws, they said limited information could be given.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents and their family at this difficult time,” they said in a statement.
Many in the industry don’t see it. Even more are in denial about it. But it’s happening, non-the-less. Corporate Dentistry is under attack. Federal, state and local governing boards as well as law enforcement agencies are making bold moves to clean up what has been left to run amok for years. This “clean up” may be fatal. Which is fantastic for every person in America, because everyone sees the dentist at some point.
Though it may be slow and painful. Has Rick Workman finally come to gripes with that reality? I think this is a HUGE signal to all “corporate dental chains” out there. When one of the first, largest and most influential entities in the industry is ready to tuck it’s tail and run, you know it’s bad.
Heartland Dental Care, Inc. Sale September 6, 2012 Heartland Dental Care Inc., one of the largest dental practice management companies in the United States, is exploring a sale that could fetch as much as $1.4 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter, Reuters wrote Thursday. The company, in which Chicago-based private equity firm CHS Capital Partners has a stake, has hired investment banks Jefferies and Moelis to find a buyer and has drawn interest mostly from other buyout firms, the people said. (Reuters) – Heartland Dental Care Inc, one of the largest dental practice management companies in the United States, is exploring a sale that could fetch as much as $1.4 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The company, in which Chicago-based private equity firm CHS Capital Partners has a stake, has hired investment banks Jefferies and Moelis to find a buyer and has drawn interest mostly from other buyout firms, the people said.
The sources asked not to be identified because the process is not public. Heartland Dental has about $120 million in annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and could be sold for 10 to 12 times EBITDA, they added.
The auction is early in the second round and final bids are expected about a month from now, according to the people. Jefferies has offered to provide financing for potential buyers, they added.
Representatives for Heartland Dental, CHS Capital, Jefferies and Moelis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It sounds like a good idea - mobile dentists sent to schools to provide dental care for needy children in classrooms and school parking lots. But some families are now crying foul, saying their kids were harmed by dentists drilling for dollars.
scheduled to visit Isaac’s school after the school contracted with a company called ReachOut Healthcare America.
