Dentists: Center’s Competition Unfair

(Reprinted from Amboy Beacon, Jan. 5, 2011)

PERTH AMBOY — Nine city dentists in private practice held a news conference

in December at a dentist’s High Street office to complain that the Jewish

Renaissance Medical Center, Hobart Street, is driving them out-of-business

because of financial preferences JRMC receives as a federally-qualified

healthcare center.

The dentists’ biggest concerns apparently center-around exemptions from

having to purchase malpractice-insurance for JRMC’s practitioners, “who are

considered federal employees immune from malpractice lawsuits,” according to

Dr. Jaime Morales, in whose office the news conference was held.

“For example, an OB/GYN (obstetrician/gynecologist) has to purchase

malpractice-insurance costing over $200,000-a-year,” Morales said. “At Jewish

Renaissance, the government covers them. If anyone has a problem, they must sue

the United States.

“Also, the government pays for equipment costs and grants to train staff,”

he added. “We cannot compete with the government.”

Morales had invited the Amboy Beacon to participate, along with

representatives of the Home News Tribune, but it was delayed after one of that

newspaper’s reporters made a cellphone call that brought-out General Manager/Editor

Paul Grzella.

“If THEY stay, then we’re leaving,” Grzella announced soon after his

arrival, pointing to Amboy Beacon Editor/Publisher Bill George and Advertising

Manager Carolyn Maxwell.

George and Maxwell left the building, joined by three members of the public

and Dr. Lydia David, State Street, one of the nine dentists, but met

privately with Morales, designated as the dentists’ spokesman, later the same day.

Other dentists who were identified by Morales as joining the protest were

Dr. George Flugrad, High Street; Dr. Maureen Fraser, New Brunswick Avenue;

Dr. George Likakis, New Brunswick Avenue; Dr. Caridad Marmolejos, State

Street; Dr. Manuel Marmolejos, State Street; Dr. Gloria Pou, State Street, and

Dr. Peter Tzambazis, High Street.

The Home News Tribune ran a front-page story before the end of 2010 in

which it was pointed-out that JRMC is accepting charity-care patients but the

private dentists are not.

However, there was no mention of malpractice-insurance, government payments

for equipment costs or grants to train staff in the story, which ran over

30 inches.

Morales said that he and the other private practitioners began feeling the

effects of advantages given to JRMC after the Center was given access to

Perth Amboy’s public school students by the Board of Education.

“This made it very-tough for us to compete, and it goes-beyond Perth

Amboy,” he said. “Jewish Renaissance is operating clinics in Newark, where they

send their overload to wait three hours.”

Morales said that it also is unclear “where they’re sending their

lab-work,” since that business “has literally dried-up in Perth Amboy.”

He predicted that other medical practitioners, not just dentists, “are

going to feel this when they (JRMC) expand their services.”

Morales took-personally the criticism he said he was subjected-to after

complaining about JRMC to public officials.

Showing a photograph of a Nicaraguan orphanage that he supports

financially, Morales said, “They say I’m trying to take money away from the kids.”