Toledo Abortion Clinic Owes Department of Health $40,000 Fine from InvestigationFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 6, 2018 (Toledo, OH): Today, Ohio Right to Life and the greater Toledo pro-life movement calls upon the leadership of ProMedica to pause before entering into a transfer agreement with Capital Care Network of Toledo. Capital Care Network has been fined by the Ohio Department of Health based on an investigation that revealed a significant departure from typical health and safety standards.
State health inspectors discovered that after one woman had an abortion, the doctor believed that the woman’s bowel might have been perforated. Capital Care Network did not follow their own medical emergencies procedure, which would have been to call 911. Instead, they sent the patient out the back door and into an employee’s personal car. They dropped her off at the hospital, and then came right back, not ensuring that the woman was treated promptly.
“While Ohio law allows for Hospitals to enter into transfer agreements with these clinics, we are appealing to ProMedica’s reputation and desire to contract with reputable entities,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life. “The ProMedica Board should wait until the legal process with the Ohio Department of Health is finalized. Otherwise, ProMedica may be contracting with a clinic that continues to violate state law and owes our government a substantial debt. We can only hope that ProMedica would exercise great discretion prior to partnering with an entity which has current legal problems with state health officials.”
Aside from the health and safety issues, Capital Care Network has employed two doctors within the last four years who have had their medical licenses suspended. Dr. Thomas Michaelis was convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography. He has a history of sexual abuse and lost his medical license in the 90s, but it was reinstated. He worked at Capital Care Network until May 2014. Dr. David Burkons’ medical license was suspended last year because he gave his staff blank prescriptions that he had signed and didn’t report the prescription of controlled substances to six patients.
“Capital Care Network has operated in so many illegal and reprehensible ways,” said Gonidakis. “ProMedica is an upstanding healthcare organization, and it should proceed with caution before partnering with an abortion facility of such ill repute.” Ohio Right to Life calls upon its statewide membership to contact ProMedica with their concerns.
