Posts Tagged ‘failure to monitor the psychiatric medications he was prescribing’

“You mean we haven’t heard the last of this yet?!” Maxine McCarthy, Former Executive Director Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners August 15, 2006

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

  Here’s the original PDF for the converted and cut & pasted  document below:  <right click>  and  <save target as>  to download

2008-05-10-complaint-orig

Stay tuned to Dr Kent’s Blog and tell everyone you know.

There is indeed a lot more to this story!

May 10, 2008

Sonja Bolf, Executive Director

Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners 1400 West Washington, Room 235

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Via CERTIFIED U.S. MAIL

-RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED‑

Re:                                                         Request for Investigation: Susanne Arnold, Ph.D.

Negligence and Neglect Leading to Unnecessary Loss of Lives and Other.

Dear Executive Director Sonja Bolf:

Attached is my completed formal Request for Investigation form. In 2005, I attempted to work closely with the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiner’s Investigator David S. Shapiro; however, rather than work with me on very serious concerns, Mr. Shapiro made some sort of report to the Board indicating that I was perhaps mentally unstable. Mr. Shapiro’s report, whatever it was, was cited by a Board member along with Dr. McCauley’s written response to the Board in a motion ordering me to undergo scrutiny at my expense. That was my second RFI generated internally by this Board.

Allow me to give you some history: After introducing myself to Mr. Shapiro in person at the Board’s office, I expressed my concerns over my duty to report to the Board in light of the overwhelming number of violations of our Rules & Regulations and Arizona Revised Statutes I observed. I asked Mr. Shapiro for advice on how I should handle these matters, and after discussing multiple concerns, Investigator Shapiro told me he thought I could not bring all of those matters to the attention of his Board. More importantly, Mr. Shapiro asked me to bring this complaint regarding the loss of life to the Board.

At that time, I was working within the Arizona Department of Corrections with other professional staff attempting to obtain identifying information regarding the victim(s). Nonetheless, due to the manner in which records are kept in ADOC, after a lot of time and effort, we were not able to obtain the information necessary to come forward with a pressing case. Notwithstanding, we knew several important things. Let me explain Dr. Susanne Arnold’s role in all of this:

Dr. Arnold hired a man who was not qualified to provide professional psychiatric services for ADOC. Dr. Arnold failed to check this applicant’s credentials. I believe, David Rupley, Jr., MD(H) worked at the Arizona State Prison Complexes in Florence and Eyman and other locations in ADOC providing psychiatric services.

Dr. Arnold knowingly signed off on this man’s hours even though she knew they were fraudulent. That is, he had not worked them and she allowed him to defraud the State of significant sums of money. This is why they retaliated against me and sought to destroy me by conspiring to bring false allegations of sexual harassment against me. See attachments. There is more, far more to the story.

Dr. Arnold refused to take necessary action to correct this man’s practice in psychiatry. Specifically, Dr. Arnold failed to correct Dr. Rupley in his failure to monitor the psychiatric medications he was prescribing. More specifically, for more than an entire year, she failed to require Rupley to follow the standard of care of the community, through Arizona and across the entire country. That is, some of these psychiatric medications have Black Box Warnings regarding the necessity to check liver profiles in order to avoid death by agranular cytosis, i.e. Depakote.

Moreover, I have reason to believe that Dr. Arnold knew about several unnecessary inmate deaths. All due to medication errors. All committed by Dr. Rupley between 2002 and 2003. YET, Dr. Arnold allowed Dr. Rupley to continue working at ADOC for at least another full year unimpeded and uncorrected! And Dr. Rupley in all likelihood was allowed to kill more men! Dr. Arnold enabled this horrible malpractice by David Rupley, Jr., MD(H)!

I also brought this to the attention of the Board’s next investigator. When she and I talked on the telephone, she became upset and yelled at me. She told me this Board was ill equipped to handle those matters. Moreover, she told me there were other agencies to which I should make my reports. I have followed her advice to no avail—other than to get myself targeted for more harassment from this Board.

Lastly, when I was notified of a fifth complaint against me before this Board (submitted by the former Director or Programs for ADOC who, by the way, resigned in lieu of termination for having committed real sexual harassment [quid pro quo]); I called the Board’s former Executive Director Mrs. Maxine McCarthy. I wanted to inquire as to the nature of the matter brought to the Board’s attention as no information was forthcoming other than an invitation to the Board’s hearing on August 18, 2006.

When I called Maxine McCarthy on approximately August 15, 2006, I was still reeling and recovering from my chemical ordeal subsequent to the improper discontinuation (under physician’s orders) of bromocriptine on March 30, 2006. In that condition, I was defenseless. Executive Director Maxine McCarthy tried to take me into her confidence. She asked me what was going on: “What’s going on? What’s been going on? You can tell me anything. It’s not going any further.”

While I was in bad shape, I still recognized that whatever I told her would be going further. I acted somewhat impulsively and I told her truthfully and candidly what was behind the efforts to retaliate against me. I told Mrs. McCarthy that there had been an unlicensed psychiatrist at ADOC. He killed several inmates with his medications, and they were trying to hide the deaths.

To which, McCarthy exclaimed and demanded: “You mean we haven’t heard the last of this yet?”

Straight forward,



Completed 2-page RFI form.

Enclosures (With One Complete Copy):

Personal Notes August 27, 2002, Personal Notes September 24, 2002 Personal Notes October 08, 2002, Personal Notes (b) October 08, 2002, Personal Notes October 24, 2002 (2p), Meeting Notes October 24, 2002 (3p hand written), Personal Notes October 24, 2002, Information Report October 24, 2002, Personal Notes November 26, 2002, Personal Notes January 14, 2003, Personal Notes February 11, 2003, Personal Notes February 24, 2003, Personal Notes February 24, 2003 (2p), Personal Notes March 03, 2003. Personal Notes (2p), Personal Mental Health Staff Meeting Notes 17 August 2004, Personal Notes August 18, 2004 (2p), Personal Notes August 18, 2004, Personal Notes August 31, 2004 (2p), Personal Notes October 26, 2004, Psychiatry Timesheet for “David Rupley Jr., MD” “Locum Tenens M.D,” 10/13 Central Unit Main Gate Sign-In Log Health Unit October 07, 2002, Personal Notes August 17, 2004 Mental Health Staff Meeting ASPC—Florence. Personal Notes November 6, 2004 Reassignment, August 24, 2005 Grievance #05-023 and #05-P-063 to ADOC Director Dora Schriro.

Cc:

Senator Linda Gray, Chairwoman, Public Safety and Human Services Committee Representative Jerry Weiers, Chairman. Natural Resources and Public Safety Committee Senate Senator Carolyn S. Allen, Chairwoman, Health Committee

Representative Bob Stump, Chairman, Health Committee

Senator Jay Tibshraeny

Representative Wade V. Nichols

Representative Stephen B. Yarbrough