Justice Bites Back as Phony Dentist Charged with Assaulting Patients

Justice Bites Back as Phony Dentist Charged with Assaulting Patients

She called herself “Dr. Val” –but it’s alleged that Valbona Yzeiraj is not only not a doctor – but also that the dental procedures she performed harmed her patients. 

Now, the 45-year-old woman faces criminal charges in the Bronx, announces Bronx County District Attorney Robert Johnson, as Yzeiraj was arraigned this week on the Supreme Court indictment which charged: assault in the second degree (Class D Felony, 2 counts); assault in the third degree (Class A Misdemeanor, 2 counts); unauthorized practice (NYS Education Law §6512) (Class E Felony, 5 counts); attempted grand larceny in the third degree (Class E Felony, 1 count) and reckless endangerment in the second degree (Class A Misdemeanor, 3 counts).

It is alleged that Yzeiraj of White Plains, NY, claimed to have had dental training in her home country of Albania, but was neither trained nor licensed in the United States. She is accused of treating patients at the office of Dr. Jeffrey Schoengold, at 3800 Independence Avenue, where she worked as an office manager. Some of her dental procedures, which included root canals, came with a bite – it is alleged that at least one patient got an infection from a botched root canal, and another suffers persistent pain two years after treatment.

The illegal dental practice is alleged to have been conducted between late 2012 and the summer of 2013, out of Dr. Schoengold’s offices, “Dr. Val” seeing patients when he was not there. When the dentist discovered her activities, Yzeiraj was fired. But it is further alleged when she left, she attempted to take money from the practice.

Yzeiraj pled not guilty to the charges before Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett. Bail was set at $20K bond/$10K cash and her case has been adjourned to May 28^th. Justice Barrett also barred her from working anywhere in regard to dentistry for the duration of her case.

If convicted of the charges, Yzeiraj faces up to seven years behind bars. The charges in this indictment are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

#NYPD #BronxDA #PhonyDentist #Yzeiraj #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Healthcare Showdown

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Healthcare Showdown: Healthcare Showdown  Rigid Staffing #s Not Way to Improve Care- Hospital Execs say By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 23- ...

Healthcare Showdown

Healthcare Showdown 

Rigid Staffing #s Not Way to Improve Care- Hospital Execs say

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 23- Members of the New York City Hospital Alliance (NYCHA), currently negotiating a new contact between its five-member hospitals and roughly half of the 18,000 nurses currently working without a contract, has issued a statement after several thousand nurses held a rally at the State Capital in Albany.

The statement read in part, "The NYC Hospital Alliance 

continues to negotiate in good faith with NYSNA (New York State Nurses Association) to reach a fair contract that honors our nurses by protecting their strong health and pension benefits and offering a wage increase that keeps them among the best paid nurses in the country."

The statement continued, "NYSNA's insistence on rigid staffing ratios is not the way to improve patient care. Nor is there a shortage of nurses currently as the hospitals that make up the Alliance (who) have collectively hired 1,000 additional nurses since the last contract was signed."

In what could be a sticking point in any future negotiation, the NYCHA statement added, "In a changing healthcare landscape that requires flexibility and team-based approach, staffing levels and assignments must remain the responsibility of hospital management."

The statement concluded, "We are pleased that NYSNA has agreed to discuss the remaining issues during a joint mediation, and we look forward to reaching an agreement that recognizes the important contributions of all healthcare professionals and allows these hospitals to continue providing the highest quality care to all of their patients."

The NYCHA is made up of a select group of negotiators from Mount Sinai, St. Luke's, Roosevelt, Montefiore and New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is currently in the process of negotiating a new contract between those five hospital's and the nurses union.

The NYCHA boasts that it's five hospitals handle nearly one million emergency room visits and nearly six million outpatient visits each year.

Addressing the under-staffing concerns raised by the demonstrating nurses, Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Montefiore Hospital, stated, "In the last three years, Montefiore has added nearly 500 nurses, half of whom were hired to increase nurse staffing to meet patients' complex needs."

Heller maintains,"NYSNA is disparaging city hospitals to try and gain advantage in ongoing contract negotiations. We always have and always will work cooperatively with NYSNA to improve patient care, which is not just our top priority-- it is our only priority."

"Fixed staffing ratios," Heller continued, "Which NYSNA is requesting, are an outdated idea, have not been proven to improve health, and would actually undermine the team-based care model that works best for our patients."

Heller added, "We look forward to reaching an agreement that recognizes the important contributions of all of our health care professionals and allow us to continue providing the very best care for our patients."

#Healthcare #Nurses #Hospitals #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Death Over Parking Space

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Death Over Parking Space: Country Club Man Charged with Beating Neighbor to Death Over Parking Space BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 22- District Attorney Robert Johnson an...

Death Over Parking Space

Country Club Man Charged with Beating Neighbor to Death Over Parking Space

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 22- District Attorney Robert Johnson announced the Supreme Court arraignment of Gjok Deda (pron: ZH-AWK DAY-dah) in the death of his downstairs neighbor, 68-year-old Ronald Antonucci, in the parking lot of the apartment building they lived in at 1110 Stadium Avenue in the Country Club section of the Bronx.

Deda, who will turn 41 years old later this week, pled not guilty before Supreme Court Justice George Villegas, to the single charge of manslaughter in the first degree, a Class-B Felony.

The row between the two men occurred in the early morning hours of March 19^th, 2015, when Deda allegedly became enraged because Antonucci was backing out of a parking space he felt was too close to him and his daughters. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Deda is accused of repeatedly punching the older and much smaller 5-foot-8 and 156-pound Antonucci in the head.  Antonucci died shortly after from what the medical examiner described as multiple blunt force trauma to the head.

If convicted of the charges, Deda faces up to 25 years behind bars, and deportation to his home country of Albania. The charges in this indictment are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case against Deda has been adjourned to July 13, 2015 in Part 77, before Justice William Mogulescu, Bronx Supreme Court, 265 E. 161^st Street.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Erin Kelsh of Trial Bureau 20/50.

#NYPD #BronxDA #ParkingSpace #GjokDeda #RonaldAntonucci #CountryClub #Bronxnews

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Nurses claim healthcare crisis in hospitals

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Nurses claim healthcare crisis in hospitals: Nurses claim healthcare crisis in hospitals (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene   BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 21 - Do...

Nurses claim healthcare crisis in hospitals

Nurses claim healthcare crisis in hospitals

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

 

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 21- Dozens of nurses held demonstrations outside local
hospitals and are now headed to get the attention of lawmakers in Albany--
charging that hospitals are dangerously understaffed and overcrowded.

 

According to Judy
Sheridan-Gonzalez, President of the New York State Nurses Association and a
registered nurse at Montefiore Hospital, "Montefiore, unfortunately what
they've done is instead of opening up units, they've crushed people
together."

 

Gonzalez explained, "They actually admit
patients instead of to a room, a stretcher in a hallway on patient units and
the conditions are horrible."

 

On April 16, members
demonstrated outside several area hospitals seeking support for the 18,000
nurses whose contract expired in January, as well as for the five
patients a day on every floor of the hospital, who Gonzalez says must
wait in a hallway for an open bed.

 

Gonzalez, who works in
the emergency room, painted a frightening picture, stating, "We
have patients waiting on respirators for two days. Not every day, not always.
But often we have patients waiting for days on end for beds."

 

Charging that area hospitals
have "manipulated" Department of Health regulations that permitted
patients to be temporarily housed in hallways, Gonzalez claims that the
temporary housing of patients has now become standard practice.

 

Gonzalez continued,
"What's happening in New York City and actually all over the country is
that the bigger and so called more successful hospitals... are taking over
other hospitals and all these hospitals are combining all our other services
and with the state pushing, are also closing beds and community
hospitals."

 

Gonzalez concluded, "We
feel it shouldn't be a tale of two health cares. If you don't have healthcare
and money, your regulated to wait in hallway beds or a crowded E.R. ... but if
you have connections your cared for a little different and we think that's
immoral."

 

Gonzalez added "Many of
the politicians have come out in our support, but Montefiore is very
powerful and very few of them are willing to confront Montefiore."

 

Nurses from across the city
will be boarding nearly 30 buses and heading to Albany on April 21, in hopes of
getting staffing ratio guidelines placed in their new contracts as well as
seeking passage of new legislation tailored to patients rights.

 

Calls to the New York City
Health and Hospital's Corporation and Montefiore Hospital were not immediately
returned.  

 

#Nurses #Healthcare
#Montefiore #Hospitals #Bronxnews