Former Adena Health doctor admits to inappropriate behavior with staff members
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A doctor accused of sexual misconduct at a Chillicothe hospital has made an admission to the state medical board.
NBC4 uncovered those allegations a year ago and spoke to the patients and former employees who made them.
Now Adena Health is facing a lawsuit and the doctor, who no longer works for Adena, has admitted wrongdoings to the state.
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Last year NBC4 Investigates spoke with former employees and patients of Adena Health. They shared they believed the hospital mishandled sexual misconduct cases.
Now state medical board documents show one doctor involved has admitted to inappropriate conduct while at the hospital.
A source showed NBC4 texts allegedly between themselves and the doctor. Some of the messages read: “you owe me sex” and “… I picture you naked all the time.”
Those texts are now a part of a lawsuit against Adena and the doctor. It alleges sexual harassment in the workplace and negligence on the part of the doctor and Adena Health.
The doctor in question was fired months after former employees came forward and NBC4 reported on this alleged behavior.
In a one-on-one interview with NBC4 in February of last year this is what Adena Health CEO Jeff Graham had to say when asked about the allegations: “Anytime there is any allegations of any sort, whether its sexual harassment or any type of thing that involves people and we take that very seriously.”
Now, a state medical board action report dated this March shows one of the doctors who faced these allegations is admitting to wrongdoing.
The document says: “Based on the doctor’s admission that while employed by Adena Health System, he engaged in inappropriate communication with numerous staff members, which acts and/or omissions individually, and/or collectively constitute: a violation of any provision of a code of ethics of the American medical association, the American osteopath association, the American podiatric medical association, or any other national professional organizations that the board specifies by rule.”
Adena Health would not comment on the medical board investigation, but did share a statement with NBC4: “We do not comment on medical board investigations. However, it is our policy to address all complaints promptly, and with the utmost seriousness. Any breach of our code of conduct is taken extremely seriously, investigated and appropriate actions are taken. We continuously strive to foster an environment where both patients and staff feel secure, valued, and heard. “
The doctor in question was reprimanded by the board and has to pay a $3,000 fine. NBC4 has not named the doctor because he has not been charged with a crime.
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