Yesterday I blogged about a bizarre story coming out of Kermit, Texas that has become the latest Texas embarrassment, if not in Texas, in the rest of America and the world.A nurse, Anne Mitchell, was arrested, indicted and today, if events proceeded as scheduled, brought to trial, in Kermit, for reporting what she believed to be the dangerous medical practices of the man you see in the picture, Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr.
The picture is taken from a YouTube video in which the doctor is on some Christian TV Network going on about some medical condition I've never heard of, for which he offers a cure.
The blogging about this latest Texas bizarreness has generated a lot of comments, many from people who have had personal experience with the Kermit hospital at the center of this scandal.
Then one from my favorite commenters, the ubiquitous Anonymous, said...
Of course, it wouldn't be the perfect Texas story unless this quack doctor and placebo huckster peddled his wares under the veneer of professionalism on a Christian cable network, during a program addressing a condition whose very existence is in doubt by most of the medical community, right?
Oh wait, it is the perfect Texas story!
Now, watch the below YouTube video and tell me how fast you'd run out of the operating room if you saw this was your doctor? Also make note of how he refers to "mainstream doctors" which indicates Arafiles recognizes he is out of the mainstream, which a Kermit nurse also recognized and realized something needed to be done. And so she did it. And now faces a 10 year prison term. For doing the right thing. Again. Any of you reading this ready to be operated on by this guy? Want him treating your kid?
UPDATE: Read the Texas Medical Board document regarding 2007 malpractice charges against Kermit Dr. Arafiles.
15 comments:
This is horrendous for all healthcare nurses, risk managers and compliance officers.
When as one of these professional encounter a fellow healthcare provider who, in our professional judgement, is failing to practice safe medicine, we are bound by our nursing code of ethics and our state licenses to take steps to protect the welfare of our patients.
The hosptial was notifed and slapped the doctor on the wrist. Nurse Michell is being hung out to dry by the very system that is suppose to support quality medicine and reporting. I am appauled by this case and the potential implications of resultant case law.
The sheriff in this story needs to share a cell with this doctor.
Okay. That was difficult to watch. I couldn't even begin to finish it. I wonder which year of med school doctors are taught how to read.
Like I said, you owe me an apology.
The only oddity about this whole story is that they just now caught on.
It's like people saying, "this town is creepy" for 20 years and then for some reason a nurse gets arrested and everyone says, "look, it really is creepy".
It reminds me a of story back in the early 80's when part of the police department, part of the sheriffs office and maybe even the DA were involved in some kind of drug ring.
And finally, the creepiness oozes into the national spotlight.
Gar---
What is this being owed an apology fixation all about? It's very perplexing.
All this weird Kermit creepiness sure goes a long way in helping explain how you ended up with a few little twists and some unresolved issues. Like the constant demands for an apology.
And I can't believe you haven't apologized yet.
I had a guy shoot a shotgun at me when I was younger. He thought it was funny cuz he removed all the pellets in the shotgun shell and replaced them with paper so it was harmless. Hilarious.
Gar---
It would be helpful if you could detail what it is you feel requires an apology. I know you've got very delicate little feelers that get hurt really easy.
You sure have suffered a lot of attacks during your time on the planet. Do, you, in some way, provoke these assaults? You must have pissed off the shotgun shooter pretty bad.
Gar and Durango (I'm convinced you're really Wayne and Garth of tv and movie fame from last millenium: call me and we'll have you on my show to work out your deep-seated differences and unresolved conflicts. How would that work out for ya, huh?--Dr. Phil M. (Oprah's my sugar mamma, you know--whatever happened to yours, Durango/Wayne?).
D --
There are so many details. I can't begin to regurgitate them all. The wounds are still too fresh and my feelers too tender for the rehashing.
Provoking the assaults? Like, for example, calling a doctor out for practicing bad medicine? It really, really, is a creepy place.
Durango, I'm thinking Gar has figured out a way to excuse all his bad behavior...blame it on Kermit. I'm guessing he wants an apology for all us expecting proper social skills from him. Remember darlin'...it's not his fault that he's socially ignorant :)
CT2---
It is clearly not Gar's fault he is socially ignorant. And as we all discussed at the Gar Symposium, he lacks the charm gene. This is through no fault of his own. Now, the boy's innate woes were certainly compounded by Kermit. I mean, he was regularly shotgun blasted with cotton balls. That would traumatize anyone. Now, does this excuse getting drunk at a Happy Hour when he is supposed to be picking up his kids? No. But what has driven the boy to drink? Obviously, Kermit.
Durango is obviously Garth. The unintended name similarities must be left out of the selection process.
Durango, I'd forgotten about him lacking the charm gene. You must remember to send me weekly memos to aid in keeping all of Gar's problems sorted out. I'm a great multi tasker, but this is a bit overwhelming for me.
Gar, Really, Durango... Garth? I don't think so. Garth was the inept blonde one right? With the big scary looking glasses? Wayne was the energetic outgoing babe magnet...so, I'm thinking...Gar, dear...you wish.
This whole Kermit Hospital thing, I didn't even know they still had a hospital. I just thought that new building in Kermit was a front for a Cat House or something, or another church or a bank even, had no idea.
Dear First Anon,
Nurse Mitchell has violated HIPPA, you know those little rules that protect patient confidentiality? She and her cohort failed to BLACK OUT patient names when reporting the malpractice to the proper authorities. Ooops, should have been a bit more careful. You'd think a NURSE with all her experience and years of training would of remembered something like that...does make one wonder. And a whole host of people are being subpoenaed, seems like they were all standing nearby and overheard the nurses discussing openly these patients and their conditions, uh oh...isn't that another rule violation?
Things are not entirely what they seem. True, they seem to be incredulous, but only to the outside observer. The town of Kermit follows the Good Ol Boy handbook. You can find this book filed in the W Library over in Midland, he was the author.
CT2---
I thought you subscribed to the Gar Newsletter. You need to do so to get the latest updates. The current issue has an interesting article about all the Kermit people who have taken a pot shot at Gar. And their reasons for doing so.
1)What is the name of the herbal supplement that Dr. Arafiles sells/sold?
2) Did/does he sell these supplements with the sheriff?
I am enjoying the internet search.
Latest Anonymous---
I don't know the name of Dr. Arafiles snake oil. I could not make it through the video, listening to him wore on my nerves. I assume if you listen to the whole thing you learn what he's peddling. But, this was Part 1 of 5. Maybe you don't learn the name til Part 5.
Well, Arafiles also peddled diet cures. Pictures of the sheriff show him to be a bit of a pudge, so he may have helped be a peddler, but I don't think he is much of a user.
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