Medical questions at Eronini hearing

Two pictures, two questions.

First picture and question: Does that look like a lawsuit to you, filed at the county office?

Second picture and question: Does Ms. Norma Ramirez look like your typical nurse practitioner’s patient, sitting at the receptionist’s counter with her legs up next to her good friend, Patrick Eronini, nurse practitioner and Democratic county chair? Don’t get me wrong. I

Don’t get me wrong. I have no sides in this legal dog fight, but during a temporary injunction hearing last week in county court (Maldonado’s court #8), when asked by his attorney, Katie Klein, if he was suing the defendant, Dr. Shahid Rashid, Eronini said “no.” He said this while

He said this while Klein brought up a digital image of the front page story published in The Advance Jan. 26, 2022. The headline read: “Dem Party chair sues doc — says he needs at least $100K.”

If you didn’t read that story and lack the background, here it is. A nurse practitioner named Patrick Eronini also serves as chairman of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party. A former party secretary, Eronini was elected chairman by an approximate 10-member executive committee vote after Norma Ramirez stepped down to run for county judge against the incumbent, Richard Cortez.

Last summer, a local physician enters this story, Shahid Rashid. He ran unsuccessfully for McAllen mayor last year and afterward, ran into Ramirez and Eronini. From there, the story gets into a “he said/he said.” Actually, it’s a “he said/ he said & she said,” if you add together Rashid, Eronini, and Ramirez.

Bottom line — Eronini took up occupancy in one of Rashid’s medical clinics on S. Shary last summer. He needed a supervisory physician (required for nurse practitioners in Texas), he said, and Rashid not only said okay, but he said he had a property he would let Eronini occupy to help build his NP (nurse practitioner) family business.

What happened after that is too long to retell. If you can get online access to the Jan. 26 issue, that front-page story lays all of this out in detail.

To stop Rashid from evicting him from the medical clinic in January, Eronini got a temporary restraining order signed by Judge Maldonado who later recused himself (who knows why). Enter the visiting judge, Rogelio “Roy” Valdez, who previously served as chief justice on the 13th district court of appeals. After a span of two days of testimony — from Eronini and Rashid — Valdez ruled last Friday that the nurse practitioner (Eronini) has the right (legal jargon) to stay in Rashid’s facility (rent free) until March 3. A signed temporary injunction guarantees it.

On top of that, Eronini filed a lawsuit in county court Jan. 19, against Rashid; and in a petition for equitable relief, he asks the court to award him monetary relief of “$100,000 or less….”

So, there is a lawsuit filed even if Eronini wants to say he isn’t suing the doc?

Based on the court filings, yes.

With regard to the surveillance photo of Ms. Ramirez with her footwear firmly planted on the receptionist’s desk inside Rashid’s clinic, suite A, now occupied for the furtherance of medical matters and political matters by Eronini, according to Eronini’s own testimony (it gets confusing), Attorney Klein argued Jan. 28 that the dissemination of that surveillance photo by Rashid, and its subsequent publication in multiple media sources including The Advance, is a violation of HIPAA (federal law — patient protection of privacy).

The question is, though, is this the typical seating arrangement for most of Mr. Eronini’s patients? If so, will more physicians and/or nurse practitioners soon adopt the practice?

“Put your feet up; stay awhile.”

Also, if there are presumably patient records behind the receptionist’s desk, isn’t it a violation of HIPAA to let another patient sit near them after hours?

Like I said, I’m not taking sides here between Eronini and Dr. Rashid, but don’t say there isn’t a lawsuit filed when there clearly is — Eronini vs. Rashid — and don’t claim that HIPAA was violated when the photo of some planted boots attached to a real person are published.

I don’t look for this story to ago away. March 3 is drawing nigh.

The security cams inside Suite A, owned by Rashid, have been de-activated by Patrick Eronini, so no future photos are expected.

Check out previous coverage of this story at anjournal.com.