ABINGTON — A former medical assistant at an Abington Township urgent care facility must answer to charges in Montgomery County Court that he had indecent contact with nearly a dozen female patients.
Ramon Garcia, 33, of the 6100 block of Elmhurst Terrace, Philadelphia, waived his preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Juanita Price on charges of aggravated indecent assault, invasion of privacy, indecent assault, impersonating a professional license holder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with alleged inappropriate conduct he had with 11 female patients while he worked as a medical assistant at Carbon Health Urgent Care at 1585 The Fairway in the Jenkintown section of Abington between November 2023 and March 2024.
One alleged incident also occurred at a Carbon Health Urgent Care located at 2019 Welsh Road in the Dresher section of Upper Dublin, according to court documents.
Garcia, who remains in the county jail in lieu of $150,000 cash bail, now faces a June 12 formal arraignment hearing on the charges in county court. After that hearing, a county judge will set Garcia’s trial date.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Marvel is prosecuting the case. Defense lawyer Paul Gregory Lang represents Garcia.
“This defendant, who was not a nurse, took advantage of the trust that patients extend to true medical professionals by assaulting and violating them,” county District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said at the time of Garcia’s arrest earlier this year.
The investigation revealed Garcia’s job description included signing in patients, taking vital signs and, if directed by a physician, taking blood samples. Garcia was not authorized to help undress any patients and was not trained, instructed or permitted to conduct exams or observe urine sample tests.
Garcia was employed as a medical assistant and was not a licensed nurse.
Garcia originally was arrested on March 11 for alleged inappropriate contact he had with two females while working at the urgent care.
The first female told police March 1 that when she went to the facility at 1585 The Fairway in Jenkintown for a pre-employment drug screening, Garcia told her to urinate into a cup and he told her she had been randomly selected to “be observed,” and he watched the victim pull up her dress and urinate into the cup. Afterward, Garcia gave her his phone number and asked if she would go on a date with him, detectives alleged.
A second female told police that when she went for treatment on March 9, Garcia identified himself as her nurse and after leading the victim to an examination room, he told her to undress and he put on latex gloves and conducted a pelvic exam. Garcia then moved his head toward the victim’s pelvic area and she said, “No,” and got dressed.
Additionally, Garcia made verbal advances, asking the second woman if she was in a relationship or had any fantasies. Garcia also gave the victim his phone number before she left the office, according to court papers.
Following Garcia’s March 11 arrest, additional women who had sought medical help at the urgent care contacted police to share information concerning their encounters with Garcia.
The additional victims shared information that Garcia, a medical assistant not authorized to perform any medical exams, performed two physical exams of victims’ genitals and surrounding areas; performed a hands-on breast exam; watched as patients changed into medical gowns and in a couple of instances, photographed parts of their bodies; placed a victim’s hands on his leg/groin area while drawing her blood; and secretly photographed or videotaped patients in exam rooms or the bathrooms of the medical facility.
Garcia also gave his phone number to multiple patients and made inappropriate comments about them and their bodies, including telling a woman she was beautiful and asked if she would be a model for his teeth whitening business, according to a criminal complaint filed by Abington Township Detective Jeffrey Anderson.
