Children’s Hospital says allegations in lawsuit are baseless
Negligence charged in overseeing a now-fired child psychologist.
Dayton Children’s Hospital officials say a lawsuit concerning a former hospital psychologist facing child pornography charges includes “very serious allegations which we believe are baseless.”
The lawsuit accuses the hospital of negligence in overseeing Greg Ramey, a child psychologist fired last year and charged this year on child pornography related charges. Hospital officials and Ramey’s attorney both have said the charges are in no way connected with Ramey’s work for the hospital.
The lawsuit filed this week in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court alleges Ramey was allowed to be present in summer 2019 in a forensic examination of a 2-year-old girl. It says Ramey was given Polaroid photos of the girl to deliver to the forensic lab. The suit was filed on behalf of the girl.
“Our process in caring for children who may be victims of sexual abuse is safeguarded and well established,” says a statement provided by hospital spokeswoman Stacy Porter. “The role which Greg Ramey formerly held is not now nor has it ever been a part of medical evaluations for suspected child sexual abuse.”
The statement says such exams are conducted by spe
cially trained medical providers in the presence of a medical chaperone from Dayton Children’s.
“A psychologist is not in the room while a forensic exam is being conducted. No photos are ever taken on a Polaroid, and photos are stored electronically. There is a documented chain of custody for evidence collected — meaning someone has to sign for the evidence each time it changes hands. Typically, this exchange occurs between a nurse and law enforcement or between a nurse and a public safety officer,” the statement says.
Attorney Philip Federico, who filed the lawsuit, responded to Dayton Children’s saying the suit is based on facts as he knows them and more information will come out in court.
“To the extent that the hospital did have applicable policies and procedures, it appears that they were not followed with regard to our client,” he said. “It is understandable that the parents of former patients of Dr. Ramey are deeply troubled by the allegations in the criminal indictment.”