Arches Medical Urgent Care - Cumberland — Local services in Cumberland

Response to Emily Shapiro: Setting the Record Straight

Emily Shapiro’s account of what transpired at the urgent care is rife with inaccuracies, baseless accusations, and blatant misrepresentation of the events. As an educated man of color, I refuse to allow these false claims to go unchallenged. This is not about entitlement; this is about advocating for my son’s well-being while being subjected to prejudice and mistreatment.

My Perspective as a Father

I was there because my son was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. He needed immediate medical attention. I arrived as an assertive father, not someone on a “rampage.” My urgency was rooted in concern for my child, not an emotional breakdown or irrational behavior. However, it seems my presence as a head of household advocating for my family was interpreted as a threat—likely because I am a man of color.

Emily Shapiro’s statement that I was “unhinged” and “on a rampage” is not only exaggerated but also reflects deeply rooted biases. Her claim that I carried a weapon or was a danger to those present is not only false but inflammatory and offensive. This is what systemic racism looks like—using stereotypes to vilify individuals for standing firm and advocating for justice.

Calling Out the Lies

Emily claims I bombarded the receptionist and screamed at her, but let’s examine the facts. Katie, the medical assistant, was in the corner shaking her head and refusing my son medical attention. This was witnessed by others, and Emily was sitting far from the desk, unable to see the full interaction. Her narrative is inconsistent with reality.

Emily also suggests I was uncooperative and refused to leave, yet the police officers who arrived on the scene sided with me. They found my concerns valid, recognized the urgent care staff’s misconduct, and agreed that my response was justified. I even requested the video recordings be pulled to verify my actions, as I had nothing to hide.

Staff’s Neglect and Lack of Care

The facility denied medical treatment at 5:15PM, 45 minutes before their scheduled closing time of 6 PM. This is unacceptable, as corroborated by another customer, Kevin Willis, who also experienced being turned away during business hours. It is clear that this urgent care prioritizes leaving early over fulfilling their duty to patients.

Despite claiming they would see my son if I left, the staff ultimately refused him care and told him to return the next day—even though he was experiencing life-threatening symptoms. Their negligence forced us to seek care elsewhere, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia at Lincoln Urgent Care. Their selfishness jeopardized my son’s life.

The Truth from the Officers

The two responding officers, after listening to my account and observing the situation, stated that if they were in my position, they would have reacted the same way. They witnessed the urgent care staff’s lack of professionalism, their refusal to see my son, and their premature closing. Both officers found my concerns valid and expressed disbelief at the staff’s actions.

Emily’s Baseless Accusations

Emily’s narrative suggests I was a danger to the staff and other patients, which is categorically false. These claims are a clear attempt to villainize me and distract from the urgent care’s unprofessionalism and negligence. My mental state, wellbeing, and intentions were never in question. The truth is, I was simply a father fighting for his son in the face of systemic prejudice and unjust treatment.

The Bottom Line

After 10 years of loyalty to this urgent care, their lack of care, professionalism, and integrity has ensured that I will never return. They were willing to risk my son’s life just to leave early. I call on management to review this matter thoroughly and contact me directly to address these issues.

The events of that evening highlight what happens when prejudice meets advocacy. I will always fight for my family, and I will never apologize for standing firm in the face of injustice.

Sincerely, Carlos...

I brought my sister to this urgent care tonight and when I went to leave a review about what happened I can see the previous comment left by Cynthia Ramirez about it. Shame on her for lying, no loyal customer is going to act the way that man did tonight.

First of all, I was here when a man bombarded the receptionist screaming in her face as soon as he cane through the door, I think the poor girl was so shocked because she didn't even say anything back to him. One of the nurses in the back said the word "SIR" to help him and I felt so unsafe when he started screaming at her for calling him sir saying she was not going to call him sir and that was disrespectful. This guy was truly unhinged and not right in the head. When he kept screaming demanding the doctor go see his son he was asked to leave and he refused! It boggles my mind how people can be so entitled as if my sister wasnt patiently waiting an hour before she was called.One of the nurses called the police and he told them he was calling to and started pacing in the waiting area screaming into his phone.I thought the guy was having a mental breakdown and snapping the way he was screaming at an urgent care full of woman. I heard the police come and ask him to leave and even still they said they would see the son but the irrate guy had to leave.I commend the staff on tonight for trying to help despite being screamed at and verbally abused. You never know with people and guns these days and I felt safe knowing the staff kept patients calm while this man was on a rampage. I didn't leave until things calmed down we'll after 6 when the staff waited for him to leave to make sure everyone was safe. Thank you to this urgent care for everything and keeping everyone safe. Shame on this man for thinking he can speak to woman and people working like that! This family should be appalled by the way they he acted. Everyone was extremely apologietic and professional. I feel bad this is the way people think they can treat other people.

I hope everyone working tonight that had to deal with this made it out safely and this never happens again. It's scary world we live in and I commend everyone on !! Hope this guy...

Awful awful awful!! Was feeling very sick , lots of congestion in my chest , harsh cough , fever. I arrived at 9:30am The receptionist was nice, got checked in, I was told to wait in my car until I was called. Waited for an hour and a half , got asked to come in for a Covid swab then was told to wait back in my car for another hour, phone rings again I am called in to go to room #3. The medical assistant that was working , I didn’t get her name , very tall , had green nails , she was so incredibly rude to me. Asked me what my symptoms were and then told me again it would be a wait before I could see a doctor , another hour goes by it is now 1:30pm I have been waiting very patiently for 4 hours. I open the door from the room I was in only to find absolutely no one around , lights were off , I went towards the front desk where I found the receptionist and the same rude medical assistant woman who I had seen earlier. I said “ excuse me do you know how much longer because I have been here for four hours and still haven’t been seen. “ to which she replied “you were told there was going to be a wait there’s nothing I can do about it “ I said “ okay I’m going to try somewhere else then “ to which she replied “ okay well you’re not going to get your copayment back and we’re going to bill your insurance for everything “ Bill my insurance for what? The only thing you did was stick me in a room. I was very upset with how I was treated and spoken to. I was obviously not feeling well going to a doctors office to receive medical treatment and instead I was harassed. I understand that a place can be short staffed , if you knew you had no doctors to see me I should have been turned away or asked to go to a different location , I was offered no help. I walked out the door as the woman continued to...