This is an interesting story that I don’t believe too many people are aware of, but I think it’s worth sharing.

Fifty-one year old, Harvard educated physician, Harvey Jenkins, ran the Aria Orthopedics Clinic and has been practicing medicine in Oklahoma since 2000. Now, however, Jenkins is no longer practicing medicine in any state.

Well over a year ago, a high profile raid caused the pain clinic on the south side of Oklahoma City to go out of business. Oklahoma investigators received a tip from another state agency about Jenkins. This led undercover investigators to pose as patients at the facility, which lead to an easier arrest of Jenkins.

Prosecutors alleged that Jenkins wasn’t spending adequate time with his patients before prescribing them large prescriptions and that he failed at guarding against the diversion of narcotics. Jenkins was also accused of using another doctor’s identity to write prescriptions for narcotics.

Jenkins was booked into jail with bail set to $500,000 .

Jenkins was charged with 29 felony counts and a single misdemeanor. Some of the charges, among others, included:

• illegal possession, distribution, dispensing, prescribing controlled dangerous substances within 2,000 ft of a public park.
• maintaining a place, building where controlled dangerous substances are kept.
• fraudulently obtaining personal identity of other persons.
• illegally practicing medicine without a license

Along with Jenkins, five former employees were also charged with similar charges. This is due mostly to the fact that by the time Jenkins would arrive in the mornings, the employees would see up to 15 patients and often send them away with written prescriptions for narcotics. The employees would also help patients that they knew were “dirty,” but would still have them come back in order to collect money for office visits. On a regular day, the clinic saw anywhere from 60 to 115 patients.

Mykel Fry says Jenkins is “a drug dealer with a prescription pad.” Do you agree?

In the aftermath of the raid and the charges, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) has hired Jenkins to teach in their Division of Chemistry and Biology. You can find him on their website, although it hasn’t been updated since early March, I’m sure he’s still teaching there.

Prescription drug abuse has reached extremely high levels in recent years, and I think that this has got to be one of the craziest stories I have come across. He claims that he did nothing, which makes sense, I wouldn’t tell on myself either, but the question is was he doing it out the goodness of his heart and truly wanting to help those in pain (like he says), or was it all about the money (like the OBN says)?

Here’s a video clip of an interview with Jenkins:

http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/4562435617001

So give me the tea, what’s your opinion?