MEDIA
Haisam Al-Khouri
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK) May 17, 2013 Friday Doctor fined $25K for letting students prescribe drugs By Andrew Knittle A longtime Oklahoma City psychiatrist was fined $25,000 and placed on probation Thursday for allowing students to write prescriptions for potentially dangerous medications. Dr. Haisam Al-Khouri was disciplined during the Oklahoma Medical Board's monthly meeting in Oklahoma City, along with one of his former subordinates. In addition to the five-digit fine, Al-Khouri was placed on 30 months' probation and will not be allowed to supervise students studying to become physician assistants. According to board documents, Al-Khouri allowed students from [...]
John Harding Price, UK Psychiatrist, has not learned his lesson
Lincolnshire Echo Psychiatrist banned for groping a patient fails to win back register place May 16, 2013 Psychiatrist John Harding Price A shamed psychiatrist struck off 13 years ago for groping a female patient has failed in his bid to have his name restored to the medical register – because he has not learned his lesson. John Harding Price, 84, was banned in 2000 when a General Medical Council (GMC) committee found him guilty of professional misconduct towards three women patients. Harding Price was working as a GP at the Lawn Medical Centre in Sewell Road, Lincoln, when the [...]
Judge Suspicious of Psych’s Records
Star Tribune Records infraction was not first for doctor fired from state mental hospital By PAUL MCENROE April 13, 2013 Minnesota Security Hospital Complex in St. Peter, Minn. A psychiatrist who was fired this year for failing to properly document patient care at the Minnesota Security Hospital had been forced to resign in 2005 for exactly the same violation — yet was later rehired by the state and spent three years treating patients at regional mental health hospitals. The psychiatrist, Dr. Edward L. Kelly, returned to work for the state in 2009 to practice in the Community Behavioral [...]
Twenty Women come forward against Canadian psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski
Sun News ON doc faces 40 new charges, including sexual assault, voyeurism and child porn By Jennifer O'Brien April 15th, 2013 Psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski LONDON, ON - A psychiatrist faces 40 new charges, including sexual assault, voyeurism and child pornography. Police say twenty women - including a 17-year-old of whom "images were taken without her informed consent" - have come forward against psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski. That brings the total number of charges against him to 43. "We are reasonably confident now that we've spoken to anyone who is going to come forward," Det. Insp. Kevin Heslop said. "The investigation [...]
Texas Psychiatrist suspended after raping patient
American-Statesman Doctor’s license suspended after rape arrest Tuesday, April 2, 2013 By Mary Ann Roser Psychiatrist David Cardwell The Texas Medical Board has temporarily suspended the license of Austin psychiatrist David Williams Cardwell after police charged him with raping a female patient last month, the board’s order says. Cardwell, 64, did not respond to an email or phone call seeking comment Tuesday afternoon. The medical board’s order says he saw the woman, whom he had been treating since the 1980s, Jan. 21 when the alleged assault occurred. The patient called him from the police department’s Sex Crimes Unit on [...]
Edward L. Kelly
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) Judge says doctors lied about psych care By Paul McEnroe April 7, 2013 Two psychiatrists at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter deliberately misled a Hennepin County judge about the care of a mentally ill woman after the judge concluded she had suffered medical neglect, according to court documents reviewed by the Star Tribune. In a stinging order issued Thursday, Judge Jay Quam accused the woman's psychiatrist, who has since been fired, and the hospital's medical director of engaging in a cover-up to hide violations of medical protocol and create the impression that the 49-year-old [...]
High Use Of Antipsychotics In Nursing Homes
Connecticut Health Investigative Team [C-HIT] By: LISA CHEDEKEL | January 30, 2013 The Westside Care Center in Manchester is ranked among the best nursing homes in Connecticut, receiving a ‘five-star’ rating for overall quality under a federal rating system. At the same time, Westside has the state’s highest percentage of residents who receive antipsychotic drugs, even though they do not have a psychosis or related condition that regulators say warrants their use. Federal data shows 68 percent of Westside long-stay residents were receiving the drugs – more than double the state’s average of 26 percent, which already ranks in the top-third of states [...]
Controversial mental health program set for Page
Lake Powell Chronicle By Lawrence Baker Apr 10th, 2013 The Columbia University TeenScreen suicide and mental health screening, recently approved for use in the middle school by the Page Unified School District governing board, has become the center of controversy after a parent and former board member raised several concerns. The TeenScreen program, backed by Native Americans for Community Action, was approved last month by the board, and was scheduled to be implemented beginning April 8, until Robin Brough and other citizens challenged the need for such a service in the area and the validity of the program overall. Among [...]
Canadian Psych Gets 5 Years
Psychiatrist Aubrey Levin Sun News Another year before all charges against Dr. Aubrey Levin are resolved By Kevin Martin April 12, 2013 It will be at least another year before all the charges against disgraced former court psychiatrist Dr. Aubrey Levin are resolved. Crown and defence lawyers appeared in Court of Queen's Bench Friday to set dates for retrials on three outstanding sex assault charges he faces from ex-patients. Prosecutor Dallas Sopko stayed one of the outstanding charges against Levin, but said the Crown would be proceeding to a second trial on three others which jurors failed to [...]
NY Government Psychiatrist Surrenders License after 25 years of inappropriate relationships – receives annual state pension of nearly $58,000
Journal News Mt. Kisco surgeon, Pearl River psychiatrist cited by state Mar 18, 2013 Queens Child Psychiatric Center A Mount Kisco plastic surgeon who failed to monitor a patient during a facelift and a Pearl River psychiatrist who allegedly had inappropriate relationships with patients for 25 years have been cited by the state Department of Health. The separate cases involve Dr. Sharon Dechiara, who practices plastic surgery in Mount Kisco and Dr. Kendon W. Smith, a psychiatrist in Pearl River who formerly lived in Mount Vernon and practiced medicine at a state-run center in Queens, records show. Dechiara, 54, [...]
Judge Gives a Call to a Florida Psychiatrist’s Office
CBS Miami CBS4 Investigates: Prescriptions In DUI Case Called “Illegal” By Gary Nelson March 14, 2013 Sandor Guillen is charged with DUI manslaughter, but his case may spawn a second investigation into how he came to possess prescription drugs. A CBS4 News investigation shows a Broward county physician and nurse practitioner may have violated state and federal law in the way they provided Guillen with Adderall, a psycho-stimulant containing amphetamine. Guillen, who was on house arrest, was jailed for four days after testing positive for the controlled drug Friday, and was unable to provide specifics of how he got it. [...]
Female patient: “I thought, he’s a doctor. He is not someone who has just done a course off the internet.”
Heart 97.6 Psychiatrist Guilty Of Sexual Assault By Bela Shah March 14, 2013 A psychiatrist from Hitchin has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman patient during a consultation. Doctor Harmadan Singh said he asked to see the woman's pubic hair because he thought she might be suffering from a hormone imbalance. But the 30 year old woman told the jury later in the meeting with the psychiatrist he got her to pull down her trousers a second time. She said throughout her two appointments with Doctor Singh, he had constantly wanted to talk about sexual matters with her. [...]
Half of Drug Company Payoffs Go to One “specialty” – Psychiatry
ProPublica Dollars for Docs Mints a Millionaire by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein March 11, 2013 Dr. Jon W. Draud, the medical director of psychiatric and addiction medicine at two Tennessee hospitals, pursues some eclectic passions. He’s bred sleek Basenji hunting dogs for show. And last summer, the Tennessee State Museum featured “African Art: The Collection of Jon Draud.” But the Nashville psychiatrist is also notable for a professional pursuit: During the last four years, the 47-year-old Draud has earned more than $1 million for delivering promotional talks and consulting for seven drug companies. By a wide margin, Draud’s earnings [...]
Psychiatrist Gets Jail Time for Medicaid Fraud
The Associated Press October 23, 2012 Ex-Del. psychiatrist sentenced for Medicaid fraud A psychiatrist who practiced in Dover has been sentenced to a year in jail for prescribing painkillers that were not medically necessary and billing Medicaid for them. Fifty-three-year-old Yvette Baker pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding the Delaware Medicaid Program of nearly $175,000. Besides jail time, Baker was ordered to pay $273,000 in damages and fines. Prosecutors say Baker worked at the Psychiatric Wellness Center in Dover. Authorities say she improperly billed Medicaid for services that were not provided or where medical records did not exist to prove [...]
London Psychiatrist Accused of Videotaping Female Patients
Blackburn News Court Date For London Psychiatrist by Avery Moore February 5th, 2013 Psychiatrist - Stanley Dobrowolski Another day in court is set for a London psychiatrist accused of videotaping female patients without their knowledge. A lawyer for Stanley Dobrowolski is expected to appear in court Tuesday morning. In November, Dobrowolski was released from custody with instructions not to contact any of his patients, write prescriptions, or use the computer without his wife present. A lawyer is expected to appear on his behalf in court, Tuesday. The 65-year-old is charged with two counts of sexual assault and one [...]
Psychiatrist will pay patients “if he could give them oral sex”
Courthouse News Service Patients Say Shrink Was a Sex Predator By Jack Bouboushian February 19, 2013 CHICAGO - A psychiatrist offered to pay two patients money if he could give them oral sex, causing one to quit treatment and die of a drug overdose, his father claims in court. Alfredo Crespo Sr. sued Circle Family Healthcare Network and Dr. Josip Pasic on behalf of his late son, Alfredo Jr. Elvis Silva joined as plaintiff, in Cook County Court. Silva claims Pasic offered him $80 and tried to unbutton his pants, telling him he "just 'wanted to make him feel better.'" [...]
Federal Appeals Court: Psychiatrist can be sued for death of patient
New England Cable News Doc loses appeal in lawsuit over inmate's death Feb 25, 2013 A federal appeals court says a psychiatrist who prescribed medication can be sued in the death of a 23-year-old Michigan prison inmate. Scott Quigley Jr. had no life-threatening ailments, but he died suddenly in 2008. Experts hired by his family blame Quigley's death on a dangerous mix of two antidepressant drugs. The autopsy report lists the cause as an epileptic seizure. Public officials are immune from civil lawsuits in many cases. But in Quigley's case, an appeals court agreed with a Detroit federal judge, who [...]
Police in Canada Search For Psychiatrist’s Patients
BlackBurn News Police Search For Psychiatrist’s Patients By Avery Moore March 5th, 2013 Psychiatrist - Stanley Dobrowolski London Police are searching for dozens of women they say were recorded without their knowledge in the office of psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski. Dobrowolski was arrested in November and charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of voyeurism. In January, police executed a search warrant at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and reported finding evidence of seven additional cases of voyeurism. Now police say an investigation into Dobrowolski’s computer and electronic storage devices has led them to [...]
Two Psychs Sued for Prozac Induced Stabbing
Sun News Teen who blames Prozac for his fatal stabbing of friend suing doctors January 13th, 2013 By JAMES TURNER WINNIPEG -- A Manitoba teen who blames the antidepressant Prozac for causing him to fatally stab his friend is suing three doctors who treated him in the months before the killing, claiming they should pay up if his victim’s kin win a lawsuit against him and members of his family. In what appears to be a Manitoba first, the now-19-year-old has launched a third-party claim for financial damages against two psychiatrists and a physician who he says treated him at [...]
Mass Killer’s Psych Sued
UPI Widow sues suspect's psychiatrist Jan. 15, 2013 DENVER, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A woman whose husband was killed in a Colorado massacre has filed a lawsuit accusing a psychiatrist of failing to use "reasonable care" in treating the suspect. James Holmes Chantel Blunk is taking legal action against the University of Colorado, Dr. Lynne Fenton and five other defendants whose names were not mentioned in the suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver, The Denver Post reported. Blunk's husband, Jonathan Blunk, was one of 12 people killed in Aurora, Colo., July 20, when James Holmes, 24, [...]
Psychiatrists in the Courts
Courier Journal Edward 'Dale' Bagshaw's murder trial delayed after defense objects to court-appointed psychiatrist By Charlie White Jan 17, 2013 The murder case against Edward “Dale” Bagshaw was delayed until at least Friday after a last-minute objection by his defense attorney over the possibility of the court-appointed psychiatrist having a conflict of interest. Bagshaw, 47, is accused of using a pocketknife to stab his estranged wife, Kelly Bagshaw, 30, dozens of times inside her car near his Jeffersonville apartment, where she had come to pick up their two young children. The final witness slated to testify before closing arguments Wednesday [...]
Jury to Start Deliberations in Psych Sex Case Friday
Vancouver Sun Defence wraps up argument in Calgary psychiatrist sex assault trial By Bill Graveland January 21, 2013 CALGARY - The lawyer for a Calgary psychiatrist charged with sexually assaulting several of his patients launched a verbal attack on the main Crown witness during his final arguments Monday. Dr. Aubrey Levin, 74, is charged with assaulting nine of his patients. The allegations came to light in 2010 after one of the patients came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist. The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man's belt and jeans [...]
Psych’s Patients Asked to Contact the Police
London Free Press Former patients of suspended psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski asked to contact police By Jennifer O'Brien January 24, 2013 Psychiatrist - Stanley Dobrowolski London police are asking former patients of suspended psychiatrist Stanley Dobrowolski to contact them after finding disturbing videos of women on his computers. In videos taken between 2007 and 2012, at least seven women are shown undergoing physical examination by Dobrowolski -- who is already facing sexual assault and voyeurism charges related to another former patient -- said London Police Insp. Kevin Heslop. "They were videoed without their knowledge in situations where he conducted [...]
BUSTED
Globe and Mail Calgary psychiatrist found guilty of sexually assaulting patients Bill Graveland Jan. 29 2013 Psychiatrist Aubrey Levin After days of deliberation, a jury found a Calgary psychiatrist guilty Monday on three counts of sexual assault against his male patients. Dr. Aubrey Levin stood quietly and without outward emotion as he was found not guilty on two counts and a mistrial was declared on four other counts. Court will reconvene on those matters on March 15 to set a date for a new trial. Sentencing on his three sexual assault charges is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Levin [...]