Medical Director Protests Article on Brea’s Center

As medical director at Brea Hospital Neuropsychiatric Center since October, 1986, and as the physician charged with responsibility for overseeing quality of care, I feel a professional and a personal obligation to respond to your article, “Poor Care of Patients Alleged at Brea Center (March 26).”

A most unfortunate aspect of the entire article is that it is presented as “news,” with the same immediacy as an event such as a plane crash yesterday. But there was no such event yesterday, last week, or even last year to occasion this “news report.”

Only two specific allegations relate to practices during my tenure. With limitations of space to offer a detailed reply, I will simply state that neither is true. Other allegations relate to matters of years ago, with none accepted today as truth, and yet when reported today as “news” by you, they carry that sense. Unchallenged, these are a disservice to the professional and employee staff of Brea, as well as to the patients and community we serve.

I am even more dismayed with the allegations put forth by my colleague and fellow member, Irwin Rosenfeld of the Orange County Psychiatric Society. I resent him raising issues against my hospital in the press, when not one has ever been communicated to myself or to the hospital. Either his concerns are serious and should be referred for investigation and response--or they aren’t.

I came to Brea Hospital as medical director to bring my values of respectful treatment in psychiatry to a larger forum than I had in dealing with individual patients. I am proud of the hospital and angry that its value does not show through your alleged “news” article.

I protest.

R.D. PONATH, M.D.

Santa Ana