San Bernardino, Calif.-based Pulse Cardiology is investigating an incident in which a cardiologist at the practice allegedly criticized a patient for not speaking English, reports KTLA.
Here are four things to know:
1. The incident occurred Nov. 1, when Yuset Galura took her 67-year-old mother, Maria Ramirez, to an appointment at the facility.
"As soon as the doctor walked in the room, she asked him if he spoke Spanish and that was all it took for him to snap and start insulting her about speaking Spanish, being in this country and not knowing his language," Ms. Galura told KTLA.
2. Ms. Galura's daughter recorded the encounter on her cellphone and posted the video on Facebook, where numerous individuals commented about similar experiences with the physician, identified as Paul Ryan, MD.
3. Ms. Galura, her mother — who is a U.S. citizen — and other relatives protested outside of Pulse Cardiology Nov. 5 to warn patients about Dr. Ryan's allegedly racist behavior toward Latinos.
"I want to unmask the doctor. If you don't like being around Mexicans, Latinos, Hispanic, or any other race other than what your race is, then you have no room in the medical field," Ms. Galura told KTLA.
4. Pulse Cardiology is conducting an independent investigation of the incident and said Dr. Ryan is not seeing patients at its clinics, according to a Nov. 5 statement cited by KTLA.
"The reported incident does not reflect the values of Pulse physicians, assistants and administrators," the practice said. "Since its inception three years ago as the Inland Empire's premier cardiology practice, Pulse has proudly served all patients regardless of nationality with a diverse staff that is fluent in several languages, including Spanish."