Desert Wind Legal Defense

Dr. Janet Arnold is a Family Physician from Richland, WA. In the past 20 years, she has owned and operated a solo medical practice, "Desert Wind Family Practice". The practice is about 80% Medical Pain Management. Dr. Arnold treats patients who have severe, chronic pain problems. Most of these patients have seen multiple specialists, are not currently candidates for surgery and have no other option except for Medical Pain Management. Dr. Arnold uses opioid and non-opioid medications to help control pain. She also uses appropriate specialty consultations, physical therapy and other modalities when appropriate. Her "goal and mission" is to help her patients to become more functional and to improve their "quality of life". Many of these patients have been on opioid medications for many years and have high tolerances for these drugs. Therefore, sometimes high dosages are necessary for these patients.

The doctor works hard with her patients to reduce tolerance to these drugs and to avoid diversion of these drugs onto the street. This is a difficult task, but it is done by doing regular drug screens on patients to make sure that they are actually "taking" and not "selling" the drugs that they are prescribed and to make sure that they are not using illicit drugs, such as heroin or methamphetamine, etc. This also helps to reduce the risk of "death from accidental overdose" which is epidemic in the US. Dr. Arnold has not has a patient die from "accidental overdose" in over 20 years! Most of these patients also use Dr. Arnold as their "Primary Care Physician", but some see other PCPs and see her just for pain.

About a month ago, Dr. Arnold's practice was "RAIDED" by the DEA for suspected criminal activity. We have no idea of why this was done or what type of criminal activity was suspected. They confiscated all of the employees cellphones, our computers and numerous documents. They copies and returned the computers and documents, but we are still without our cellphones! The office phones no longer work because the DEA screwed up our VOIP system which we have not been able to fix. They also "blackballed" the doctor by warning the pharmacies that it would "not be a good idea" to fill the doctor's prescriptions. They then told her that she could "go back to work". Patients began to suffer because they could not get their prescriptions filled anywhere local. The DEA has yet to make any actual allegations!

About a week later, the State of WA served a "Summary Suspension of Licensure" to Dr. Arnold. This is based on an investigation that has been ongoing for about 3 years and is somewhat of a "seperate, but related" issue. We feel that the allegations from the state are false and unfounded and intend to appeal the decision!

THIS IS A PATIENT RIGHTS ISSUE. YOUR RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED!

LAWYERS ARE EXPENSIVE. WE APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU CAN DONATE TO HELP GET THIS DOCTOR BACK TO PRACTICE!