Ex-maid arrested on charges of practicing medicine without a license

A Las Vegas woman has been arrested on allegations she posed as a doctor while dispensing antibiotic injections, hormone treatments and prescription drugs from a garage converted to look like a medical office.

Diana Hernandez, 47, was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on Thursday on felony counts of acting as a medical practitioner without a license and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. A police arrest report for Hernandez identifies her by the alternate name of Amelia Salcido-Ramirez.

In the arrest report, Metropolitan Police Department detectives wrote that they obtained a search warrant for an east Las Vegas home near East Charleston Boulevard and Christy Lane on Wednesday as part of an investigation into an “unlicensed medical practice.” Police found business cards at the home for a “family doctor” under the business name of NHC Natural Health Counselors along with the the words “ask for Diana,” who advertised business hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Police said the garage of the home had been converted into a patient examination room.

“The bed had a thin plastic covering the foot of the bed where one could be seated,” police wrote. “To the right of the bed was a white drawer chest with several drawers on it. This drawer had several different medication packages in each drawer and seemed to be full with other vials and individual doses of unknown liquid medication and pills.”

Police said they later confirmed with the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy that at least one of the vials in the drawer contained testosterone, which is a Schedule III controlled substance.

Ramirez, police said, agreed to speak with investigators, telling them she’d been selling medicine for three months and that she previously worked as a maid.

“She explained that she does not have any formal training or licensing but did participate in an unknown correspondence type course (provided by the Red Cross) when she lived in Chihuahua, Mexico,” police wrote. “She added she’s always had an interest in medicine and was aware this type of ‘medicine practicing’ required school, licensing, etc.”

Police wrote that Ramirez acknowledged giving customers antibiotic injections and hormones to both men and women. Police said she charged $20 for each injection. Police did not say in the report how she obtained the drugs.

A criminal complaint in the case had not been filed as of Tuesday morning.

Ramirez is scheduled for a court appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Sept. 7. Court records did not list an attorney for her.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.