Spring Valley, NY - State Health Department Faults Clinic

Spring Valley, NY - The state Department of Health faulted a Spring Valley community health clinic for operational deficiencies, following a complaint by a patient who said staffers delayed treating her heart palpitations and dizziness because she lacked a $30 co-payment.
In a July 12 letter, investigators told the patient, Rose Leandre, that they found the Ben Gilman Medical and Dental Clinic had violated a portion of the state's hospital code.

Among the Gilman clinic's deficiencies were that not all its policies were available to patients, hours of operation were not posted and the center failed to keep a patient's financial information confidential, according to the report. Policy and procedure manuals were not immediately available, it added.

The state's survey, completed March 7, required the Gilman clinic to correct the deficiencies, and directed operators to prominently post a written statement of patients' rights and provide each patient with a copy of the document.

Sharon Milner, executive director of Community Medical and Dental Care Inc. of Monsey, which runs the Gilman clinic and its sister Monsey Medical and Dental center, yesterday said the issues outlined by the state had been corrected.

The Gilman clinic is federally funded. Community Medical and Dental Care Inc. has received more than $2 million from the government since 2002.