NEED TO KNOW
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Letters have been sent to more than 1,500 former patients of Dr. Blaine McGraw as the gynecologist remains under criminal investigation for allegedly filming patients during exams.
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McGraw worked at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii from June 2019 to June 2023.
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He most recently practiced at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas.
A gynecologist who worked at Army hospitals in Hawaii and Texas is now suspended and under criminal investigation for allegedly filming and photographing patients during examinations.
Dr. Blaine McGraw is accused of inappropriately touching, filming and photographing patients during examinations. The Army Criminal Investigation Division began investigating “within hours” of his Oct. 17 suspension, the source said. statement.
“Fort Hood and CRDAMC are committed to providing world-class care to our Soldiers, families and beneficiaries, with patient safety and trust as the cornerstone of our mission,” the U.S. Army wrote in a release. statement.
Austin-based law firm Cobos is representing 50 alleged victims. The lawsuit was filed in Bell County Circuit Court on November 10. It alleges that the US Army covered up alleged abuses by McGraw. The firm represents Jane Doe, who is identified only as a military spouse.
“The army knew” lawsuit viewed by PEOPLE reads. “Complaints were filed against Defendant McGraw—at Fort Hood and several years earlier at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii—but management dismissed the warnings, laughed off the credible allegations, and allowed McGraw to continue to practice. Thus, the army gave cover to a predator in uniform.”
According to the lawsuit, one of the victims alleged that McGraw placed his phone facing forward in his shirt's breast pocket while pretending to take a call from a nurse.
PEOPLE has reached out to Cobos Law Firm for comment on the lawsuit.
National Judicial Law, also based in Texas, says it also represents a separate group of several victims. IN statement On November 5, the firm wrote: “National Litigation has been retained by victims of an Army gynecologist at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas, who intends to file claims against the United States Government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).”
“The charges involve one of the most egregious violations of medical trust imaginable: non-consensual videotaping and photographing of patients during intimate medical examinations coupled with inappropriate sexual touching during OB/GYN procedures,” the National Judicial Law said in a statement.
The National Judicial Law then listed the charges against McGraw: “The alleged misconduct goes beyond unauthorized recordings and includes inappropriately touching patients' breasts and genitals in a non-medical manner, recommending unnecessary breast examinations solely for the purpose of exposing and groping patients, and performing examinations without the presence of required medical personnel in violation of Army medical protocols.”
McGraw worked at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, from June 2019 to June 2023. NBC News reports. He last practiced medicine at Fort Hood, Texas, at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, where he was reportedly suspended in October.
A source connected to the case told NBC News that the first batch of letters to patients McGraw was believed to have examined were sent on Friday, November 21. A source told the publication that up to 1,500 people may have been filmed and notified.
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Although McGraw remains under criminal investigation, he is not facing any charges at this time. “The health of our patients remains our absolute top priority,” Col. William Bimson, director of Tripler Army Medical Center, said in a statement. “I know this information is incredibly upsetting for them, and we are here to provide support. We have many resources to offer, and we want to hear their concerns and help them get the medical care and other support they need.”
Numerous former patients report abuse Austin-American Statesman reports. McGraw completed his medical residency at Tripler Army Medical Center after enlisting in the Army in 2007 as a rifle platoon leader at Fort Campbell, Ky., according to Statesman.
The investigation is ongoing.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis text line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Read the original article at People
