Vista Del Mar Hospital Employee Arrested For Sexual Assault Of Psychiatric Patients

A Report from KEYT TV3 news

Police arrested 37-year-old Juan Pablo Valencia of Ventura Thursday on charges of sexual assault and rape of hospital patients.

Victim after victim came forward since the first incident was reported in October 2014—each with almost the same story. They were psychiatric patients at Vista Del Mar Hospital in Ventura and say Valencia sexually pursued them and continued to do so after their release.

The first victim reported the assaults occurred in 2013, with the rest of the victims coming forward in February 2015.

Valencia was initially arrested on January 2015 on the 2600 block of N Ventura Avenue. He was again arrested Thursday on the 600 block of Count Square Drive.

He is being held at Ventura County Jail under numerous sexual assault charges including rape of an intoxicated and institutionalized person.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding sexual misconduct by the suspect is urged to contact the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4328.

ABC15 Investigation: AZ mental hospital fails to investigate, protect patients from sex abuse

ABC15 TV has been investigating the Arizona State Hospital, and here is the tip of a very big iceberg. There is much more in the original and related reports. What we share below is merely a highlight.

The Arizona State Hospital has failed to protect vulnerable patients from sex abuse and dangerous sexual activity; and in several cases, officials have failed to investigate serious allegations, according to a two-year ABC15 investigation.

[...]

The ABC15 Investigators reviewed thousands of pages of hospital, police and court records to compile a list of sex crime allegations at the Arizona State Hospital. By cross-referencing the records, ABC15 was also able to identify repeat offenders and victims.

From 2012 through 2014, we found: 

• There were 63 allegations of sex crimes, including rape, sex abuse and molestation.
• ASH investigated 24 of those allegations.
• ABC15 could only confirm 10 allegations resulted in reports with Arizona Adult Protective Services (APS) or law enforcement.

State law states that APS or a peace officer be notified immediately if there’s a “reasonable basis to believe that abuse or neglect of the adult has occurred.”

But several hospital sources have told ABC15 incidents go unreported, and they fear retaliation if they do report incidents outside of ASH.

“Staff has been basically threatened that if they do contact APS that repercussions will happen,” said one hospital source. “It goes unreported because staff is in fear of their jobs.”

Unreported allegations and crimes by healthcare officials can be a serious matter.

Arizona State Hospital has a long history of problems, it is a target rich environment for investigators Here are some of the Videos related to this report

Dr Joseph Bray is faces being struck off after he had an affair with a patient at The Priory in Southampton and allegedly made sexual comments towards another

A Report from the Daily Echo in the UK

A HAMPSHIRE psychiatrist had an affair with a patient and made sexual comments about another, a hearing was told.

Now married father of two Dr Joseph Bray faces being struck off by a fitness to practice tribunal. The tribunal heard Bray began flirting with a woman known as Patient B during counselling sessions and later began a sexual relationship with her. During three consultations he stroked Patient B’s hair, kissed her on the side of the head and told her “if only I was 20 years younger”.

Mr Williams said the consultations ‘crossed boundaries’, including giving out his personal email address, and added: “The doctor has demonstrated that he is willing to cross boundaries of a relationship with Patient B and to go all the way to a full-blown relationship.” The tribunal also heard he treated a patient who came to him for help coping with her husband’s womanising by comparing her appearance against her husband’s mistress.

The hearing was told in a ‘crudely-worded’ consultation Bray, 57, used Google to search for pictures of the mistress and then compared their physical appearances.

Bray allegedly told the woman, known only as Patient A, “men aren’t biologically programmed for monogamy,” and added: ‘‘When my wife dies, I will shag as many women as I can.’’ Patient A was said to feel ‘’awkward and uncomfortable’’ over the counselling she received from Bray after she attended the £3,000 a week Priory Hospital, Southampton, in ‘‘emotional distress.’’

Paul Williams, counsel for General Medical Council, told the tribunal in Manchester:

“Dr Bray’s persistent focus on the context of emails received by the husband made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She felt it was sufficient to say the content was explicit.
“She says she found it distressing and unprofessional for the doctor to Google her husband’s mistress and begin passing comments about women.
“These are utterly inappropriate remarks during a consultation and so deeply sexualised in nature.
"She says it was unprofessional for him to make personal remarks regarding her appearance, even if complimentary.”

Mr Williams added: “The conversation turned from simple relationship matters to physical appearance, attraction and discussing sexual matters.”

The consultant, who lives in the New Forest, had been working at The Priory Hospital since 2007. Bray admits acting inappropriately during his consultation with Patient A but denies his conduct was sexually motivated. He admits all allegations regarding his conduct and inappropriate, sexual relationship with Patient B.

Psychotherapist accused of sexually assaulting court-referred patient

From the report on Michigan Live

A Flint-area psychotherapist is behind bars after authorities claim he sexually abused a patient who was referred to him by the court. Hugh McQuade of Burton was arraigned Wednesday, April 29, on 14 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Authorities claim he coerced a Genesee County probationer into sex acts.

Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said the 46-year-old victim was on probation following her conviction on a felony cocaine charge and was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. Pickell said the woman, who is not being named because she is the victim of an alleged sex crime, went to McQuade, who practiced at the Oakland Psychological Clinic, to fulfill the terms of her probation.

McQuade, 67, allegedly exposed his genitals to the woman while at the clinic, according to Pickell. The actions then allegedly evolved into groping and oral sex, the sheriff said. Pickell said he believes there were at least 14 separate incidents of inappropriate sexual contact between McQuade and the victim."She was forced into doing it," Pickell alleged.

Representatives from the clinic declined to comment on the case. The clinic's website lists McQuade as a staff member at its 2222 S. Linden Road location in Flint Township.

Pickell said his office became aware of the allegations after the victim was arrested for violating her probation by having a drug relapse. The sheriff said McQuade was arrested within two hours of the victim notifying his office of the incident. The victim is still in custody for the suspected probation violation.

A search warrant was executed and Pickell claimed his investigators discovered sexually explicit photos and videos involving McQuade and the victim. There was no attorney listed on file for McQuade.

The incident remains under investigation, and Pickell said he believes at least one other woman may have been victimized. "He's a wolf in sheep's clothing," Pickell said of McQuade. McQuade is held on $20,000 bond for each count. The charges carry a mandatory 15-year minimum prison sentence if convicted. Pickell said roughly half of McQuade's patients were court-referred.

[...]

The rest of the article was an attempt at damage control regarding court appointed psychotherapists.

Bronx Child Psychologist Justin Miller Accused of Trying to Meet 14-Year-Old Girl for Sex

A report from NBC TV New York

A 34-year-old child psychologist at the Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexually explicit online conversations with an undercover detective he thought was a 14-year-old girl, authorities said Wednesday.

The psychologist, Justin Miller, was arrested Tuesday in the Bronx as a result of the three-month investigation. An online profile says he has eight years of experience.

Since January, authorities allege Miller engaged in the explicit sexual conversations with the undercover detective and at what point said he wanted to meet the 14-year-old girl he thought he was chatting with for sex. Police say he admitted to engaging in the sex chats with someone he believed to be a teenager.

Miller was charged with disseminating indecent material to a minor and acting in a manner injurious to a child younger than 17, which is a felony.

An email request to Miller seeking comment bounced back, and information on an attorney for him wasn't immediately available.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine referred questions about the case to police. Miller was not listed on the college's website Wednesday.

Of course, sometimes psychologists get in on the action normally reserved for shrinks

Texas Medical Board hands out meger $5,000 dollar penalty for psychiatrist sex with patient.

As Reported on the East Texas Matters Website, an announcement from the Texas Medical Board which can also be found here (PDF)

On April 10, 2015, the Board and Fermin Briones, jr., M.D., entered into an Agreed Order publicly reprimanding Dr. Briones and requiring him to within 30 days undergo

an independent medical evaluation and

follow all recommendations for care and treatment;

within one year and three attempts pass the medical jurisprudence exam;

within one year complete at least 16 hours of in-person cme, divided as follows:

1. eight hours in ethics and
2. eight hours in HIPAA compliance;

and pay an administrative penalty of $5,000 within 90 days.

The board found Dr. Briones engaged in unprofessional conduct

by having a sexual relationship with a patient and

continuing to have inappropriate contact with the patient after the filing of the complaint alleging a sexual relationship had occurred with the patient; and

violated state and federal patient confidentiality laws through his filing of a lawsuit seeking a restraining order against the patient.

The initial Texas Medical Board report can be found here

Briones, Fermin, Jr., M.D., Lic. No. N0660, San Antonio On January 29, 2015 a disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board temporarily suspended, with notice, the Texas medical license of Fermin Briones, Jr., M.D., a San Antonio psychiatrist, after determining his continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare. The suspension was effective immediately. The Board panel found that on June 6, 2014, a report with the Alamo Heights Police Department was filed alleging that Dr. Briones had initiated and nurtured a sexual relationship with a patient. Physical evidence, including videos, emails, and texts messages, demonstrate there was a sexual relationship. Dr. Briones continued to communicate with the patient via email and attempted to persuade her to not participate in the Board proceedings. On December 30, 2014, Dr. Briones sent an email to the patient threatening to report her to her professional licensing board should she continue to participate in the proceedings against him at the Board. The temporary suspension remains in place until the Board takes further action.

Here is a previous local TV news report

Jerusalem psychiatrist arrested for sexually assaulting and molesting patients for five years

As Reported in the Israeli site MyNet. (English text via Google Translate)

Neve Yaakov presented himself as a psychotherapist being anxious couples, a patient suspected of having committed indecent acts and other women. During interrogation he claimed that he did things without any sexual connotation

Haredi attending a patient suspected of defilement and indecent assault in patients more. The suspect, a resident of Neve Yaakov 44, was arrested this week by the Jerusalem Central Unit for suspected molesting his patients and even slept with one of them. According to the allegations, he hired an ultra-Orthodox organization treatment rooms located in Givat Shaul and there probably carried out his scheme.

The affair began a few weeks ago, then Jerusalem Central Unit received a complaint of ultra-Orthodox woman who claims that within the last treatment with the suspect is committed indecent acts. Among other things, she told the woman that he would sit her on it and pat it under your clothes. Immediately after receiving the complaint, the police began investigation. The researchers, led by Chief of youth exposure, Superintendent Golan Meiri, came another woman who claimed that he touched her vagina.

The suspect claimed during questioning that is anxious couples psychotherapist parity problems but deals mainly with individual women. He rented a room in the structure of the ultra-Orthodox Associations Givat Shaul where he received the women. It is suspected that he had treated this way Orthodox women for five years. Police point out that he used to sexually exploit the Mtoflotio significant number of cases.

Even before his arrest, trial proceedings against him took place in the Haredi community in so-called ‘Forum Regulation. Apparently the procedure did not produce fruit, and that’s what made the first complainant to contact the police. Near the police made the arrest raid on where the organization operates, and from there were taken additional evidence supporting the allegations. However, police point out that the organization itself has no connection to the event and there is no suspicion of its abnormal behavior.

In his interrogation, the suspect claimed that everything was carried out as part of treatment and without any sexual connotation. Police continue to investigate, among other things, trying to get other complainants and check the credentials required to perform treatments such as those committed by the suspect.

Patients who take antipsychotic and antidepressant medications frequently experience sexual side effects

From a report in the Pharmacy Times

[...]

Recently, researchers set out to determine the incidence of treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction with lithium and identify potential management approaches. By conducting a systematic computerized literature search of preclinical and clinical studies, they examined 13 relevant papers and published their results in Human Psychopharmacology and Clinical Experience.

The preclinical studies shed light on the etiology of lithium-related sexual dysfunction, noting that the drug could significantly reduce testosterone levels and impair nitric oxide-mediated control of male erectile tissue. Additionally, 6 clinical reports suggested that lithium might reduce sexual thoughts and desire, worsen erectile function, and reduce sexual satisfaction.

Lithium-treated patients who reported sexual dysfunction also demonstrated a lower level of overall functioning, higher rates of lithium-related adverse effects, and poor medication adherence.

Those who received concurrent benzodiazepines had a significantly elevated risk for sexual dysfunction.

Only 1 study addressed how to manage lithium-related sexual dysfunction. In that placebo-controlled study, men who took lithium and 240 mg aspirin daily reported less overall sexual dysfunction and improved erectile function.

[...]

Chicago's West Side Hartgrove Psychiatric Hospital focus of widening Justice Department probe

Highlight/Lowlights from this Chicago Tribune article

The Justice Department's criminal probe into Universal Health Services has entered a new and more serious phase, focusing on potential wrongdoing by the corporation as a whole and not just its individual facilities.

Universal, the nation's largest behavioral health firm, had previously disclosed a federal investigation into 18 of its 190 psychiatric centers across the country.

But in late March, the department's Criminal Frauds Section notified the company that "Universal as a corporate entity" is now under scrutiny, according to a regulatory disclosure filed by Universal on Tuesday.

As federal agents examine allegations of fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid billing by the corporate office, they have highlighted one facility in particular, the company disclosure said: Hartgrove Hospital on Chicago's West Side.

[...]

The Justice Department began investigating Universal facilities in Illinois in 2008 after the Tribune documented allegations that juvenile state wards and other youths were sexually assaulted at the firm's west suburban Riveredge psychiatric hospital.

The state Department of Children and Family Services in response commissioned the University of Illinois at Chicago's psychiatry department to examine conditions at Riveredge, Hartgrove and other psychiatric facilities that serve Illinois wards.

In a 2010 report, the UIC experts described an environment of chaos, physical attacks and sexual assaults of young patients at Hartgrove, saying the West Side facility was regularly understaffed and over capacity.

Also part of the expanding federal probe is Universal's Rock River Academy, a 59-bed Rockford resident treatment center that promises intensive, round-the-clock care to female state wards who suffered abuse and neglect, as well as disadvantaged girls with mental health problems.

British Psychiatrist Adam Osborne is suspended AGAIN... over 'serious misconduct' with female patient

From this Report in the Daily Mail

Adam Osborne, 38, who has a private practice in Central London, last week had his licence suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) after being accused of having a two-year sexual affair with a highly vulnerable woman patient who has psychiatric issues, is married and has two children. The news comes five years after he was suspended by the GMC for ‘dishonest and misleading’ behaviour in prescribing drugs to his cocaine-addicted prostitute lover. The latest blow means he cannot practise in any capacity as a doctor until an investigation into the new allegations has been concluded. The suspension will prove highly embarrassing for (his brother) the Chancellor (George Osborne), coming as he prepares for Wednesday’s crucial Budget, the last before May’s General Election. If the investigation results in a Fitness To Practise hearing, which is held in public, Dr Osborne could face further sensitive personal information being revealed. And if the allegations are upheld, he could be struck off. In the wake of the hearing, Dr Osborne’s personal website was taken down. His Linkedin page states that he has a special interest in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, personality disorders, depression and anxiety. Dr Osborne currently runs Devonport Psychiatry, which is based in Marylebone, Central London, but is officially registered to his home address in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, which he shares with his wife Rahala Noor, a plastic surgeon. His suspension in 2010 stemmed from a series of allegations surrounding his use of prescription drugs, which centred on allegations of a relationship with a prostitute. The GMC said that his ‘relationship’ with the woman had ‘clouded his judgment’ and led him to prescribe powerful anti-psychotic drugs, dishonestly use a false name and fail to inform her GP. Dr Osborne was also disciplined for prescribing contraceptive pills to his then girlfriend, Rahala, a strict Muslim who would become his wife, and an anti-smoking drug to an unnamed family member. The GMC hearing was told that Dr Osborne had been in a relationship with the prostitute, referred to as Miss B, from 2007 to 2008 while he was separated from his girlfriend and he was a trainee psychiatrist in Manchester.

More Details and Photos at the Daily Mail

Lawsuit describes string of sex assaults at Seattle Children's Hospital - Hospital staff failed to help girl abused in psychiatric ward

From a report in Seattle PI

Much more information at the link

A former patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital has sued, claiming hospital staff failed to notice as she was repeatedly, sexually assaulted by another patient.

Attorneys for the young woman claim at least three other children have been sexually abused at the Laurelhurst neighborhood facility in recent years. Despite assurances of reform from hospital managers, they contend too little is being done to protect children there.

Writing the court, attorneys Steve Berman and Marty McLean said their client was just one of an unknown number of children abused while locked in Children’s inpatient psychiatric unit.

“Sadly, (she) is not the first child-patient who was sexually victimized while admitted,” Berman said in the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this week. “Publically available records confirm that (she) was at least the fourth patient in a five-year span to have been sexually victimized while under (Children’s) care and custody.”

Berman, a nationally prominent attorney specializing in class-action lawsuits, went on to say he believes “there are more children who have been victimized, as well.”

A spokeswoman for Seattle Children’s declined to comment on the lawsuit. Attorneys for the University of Washington-affiliated nonprofit have not yet responded to the allegations in court.

Man sentenced to 17 years in prison for childmolestation of his own daughter. Judge outraged at the man's psychiatrist

As reported in the Daily Telegraph

The Judge in the case had especially harsh words for the psychiatrist assigned to the case.

A truck driver will spend at least 17 years in jail for the sexual abuse of his daughter in one of the longest sentences handed down to a paedophile father in Australia.

In sentencing the 49-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, Judge Paul Conlon said it was what the community expected.

[...]

Judge Conlon, who has a ­reputation for handing down tough sentences to child sex offenders, said the truck driver had exploited her youth “in the worst possible way”.

“He has groomed his own daughter, turning her into his sexual play thing,” the judge said.

He was critical of psychiatrist Dr Olav Nielssen who told the court the repeated sexual abuse over seven years had been “opportunistic”.

Judge Conlon said the psychiatrist had seemed to treat “without any critical evaluation” the man’s comments that he had trouble “showing his feelings” to his daughter and had not known how to express himself.

“In my view, it is inappropriate to use the word ‘opportunistic’ when dealing with persistent sexual abuse of a child over a period of seven years. I am unable to have much confidence in this future risk assessment,” Judge Conlon said.

His daughter, now 28, went to Queensland police in 2007. The ­father was sentenced in Queensland to a maximum of four years with a non-parole term of just one year four months after telling the psychiatrist that “he and his daughter had a very close and open relationship and that he really loved her”.

He had pleaded guilty to three counts of raping his daughter.

[...]

Medical malpractice is not limited to surgery, and the case of Paul Lozano illustrates this better than any other example.

Item #2 from the List Verse Article 10 Horrible Cases Of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice is not limited to surgery, and the case of Paul Lozano illustrates this better than any other example. Lozano had been sexually abused by his mother as a child, and his psychiatrist, Margaret Bean-Bayog, decided to try a form of therapy known as “reparenting”, where the psychiatrist simulates the different stages of lifespan development in an attempt to “reprogram” the patient. She coddled him, read him stories, called him “baby”, made him call her “mother”, and made him learn cue-cards off by heart. One such card read “I’m your mom and I love you and you love me very much. Say that 10 times”. Other cards were more sexual, and more notes were found that appeared to be erotica featuring Lozano and his doctor. It was also reported that they did in fact have sexual relations. After about five years, he committed suicide.

When Bean-Bayog's graphic love notes were discovered, two other therapists informed state authorities. But no investigation was launched until Lozano's suicide made newspaper headlines. Even then, other psychoanalysts circled the wagons, claiming their colleague was the victim of the affair.

Psychiatrist suspended after allegations of sexual misconduct

As seen in this report from NBC WREX 13 in Rockford, Illinois

WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Much more info in the video and at the link

A Rockford psychiatrist is immediately suspended after he is accused of inappropriately prescribing medications and being involved in sexual misconduct with several female patients, according to a notice of temporary suspension from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The notice states Dr. William W. Wood is suspended as allegations against him "constitute an immediate danger to the public."

The notice details accusations that Wood violated boundaries with several female patients at his practice by sending text messages of a personal and sexual nature, kissing, touching, and hugging.

In addition, the notice alleges Wood inappropriately prescribed controlled substances, including Percocet, to at least one patient he was treating for depression, anxiety and panic attacks. The notice states that Wood was aware of that patient's history of prescription medication abuse and he continued to prescribe multiple controlled substances to her, knowing that she was overusing and overdosed on the prescribed controlled substances.

The notice goes on to state that Wood became aware that a local area Walgreens pharmacist refused to refill a prescription for this patient because she was taking too many medications. Wood instructed the patient to go to a different pharmacy.

These allegations are documented from July 2014 to November 2014.

They Have No Idea How To Rehabilitate Sex Offenders

As Seen on Vocativ.Com convicted sex offenders may not work at all, according to a new study.

This is another case of "No Results". Of course, psychiatrists have long admitted that they do not cure anyone.

Prison programs that have been in place for decades to rehabilitate convicted sex offenders may not work at all, according to a new study.

“No evidence from academic or policy research has shown that the treatment programme significantly reduces sexual reoffending,” David K. Ho, a forensic psychologist at South Essex Partnership University in England, writes in BMJ. “Victims and the public deserve to know this.”

After reviewing hundreds of prior studies, Ho concluded that there is no evidence that prison rehabilitation programs reduce the risk of sex criminals striking again. If they do not work, Ho says, we are not only wasting state resources, but also putting society at risk by releasing unreformed sex offenders.

To date, the studies have simply followed criminals in therapy and tracked their outcomes. However, in order to draw real conclusions about whether psychotherapy works on sex offenders, we would need so-called randomized trials with a control group that receives “placebo” therapy.

Despite the obvious ethical issues of releasing sex criminals after fake psychotherapy sessions, scientists have been pushing for definitive trials for at least five years.

For more on the effort to rehabilitate sex criminals, check out the American Civil Liberties Union’s review of sex offender laws that do more harm than good.

The author seems to have missed the datum that subjective therapies, such as talking therapies, cannot be subject to double blinding.

As can be seen in this journal issue, modern science is still trying to figure out how to do double blind studies with regard to the various kinds of talking therapies.

Now you can do a double blind study regarding some aspects of the *training* of therapists. This study is fascinating regarding the attitude of the trainees vs the results of the therapy they deliver.

Essentially, if you train therapists to be in real communication with patients, they get better results. Who would have thought?

Child psychiatrist discovered to have child porn conviction

As reported by DutchNews.NL

A Dordrecht psychiatric clinic, which offers help from a Christian perspective, is employing a psychiatrist with a conviction for possessing large amounts of child pornography, the Volkskrant says on Monday. The man was convicted of possessing 66,000 items of child porn, including rape videos, in 2012. The board of the De Hoop clinic is aware of the conviction and says the doctor ‘deserves a second chance’.

The clinic says the psychiatrist treats adults with addiction problems and does not work with children or the perpetrators or victims of sexual violence. These conditions of employment were formulated by health ministry inspectors, the clinic said.

(The) Television programme De Monitor reported on Sunday that the man, named as Van R, continued to work with the victims of sexual abuse at a different clinic six months after his conviction. He was then sacked when news of his conviction leaked out.

Next week’s programme will focus on his work at De Hoop. Staff and patients at the clinic have now been informed about the psychiatrist’s past.

See the VolksRant Report here

Online Translation Here

The problem is, of course, that psychiatrists admit that they never cure anyone, and that no one can be cured of any medical condition.

Therefore, how can they give a second chance to a child pornographer if they can't cure him of this condition and addiction?>

Psychiatric Hospital Employee Accused Of Having Sexual Contact With 15-Year-Old Patient

As reported by WCHS TV channel 8

West Virginia State Police said an employee of a psychiatric hospital in Morgantown is accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old male patient.

Katie Miller, 22, of Smithfield, Pa., was arrested Friday on two counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust, according to a news release from the State Police.

The arrest stems from an investigation that began in late December 2014. The alleged abuse was reported by hospital officials.

During the course of the investigation, Sgt. A.W. Scott of the Crimes Against Children developed probable cause to arrest Miller. She was arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court and released on a $10,000 cash or surety bond.

Psychiatrist Claudio de Novaes Soares faces hearing for sex abuse allegations

As reported by the CBC News

A Hamilton psychiatrist has a disciplinary hearing with the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons two years after allegations emerged that he sexually abused a female patient.

Dr. Claudio de Novaes Soares has not be licensed to practice medicine in Ontario since Sept. 1, 2012, around the same time he was set to take a high profile post at the University of Alberta as the head of the psychiatry program there.

Soares resigned his position with UofA around Sept. 24, two weeks after CBC News revealed allegations that he had sexual relations with a female patient while he was practicing at a Hamilton office affiliated with McMaster University.

A document outlining Soares’s disciplinary hearing at the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons alleges that between Nov. 2007 to May 2009 he made sexual remarks toward the female patient — referred to only as Patient A — and also engaged in fellatio and had sex with the woman.

“This behaviour constituted sexual abuse of Patient A by Dr. Soares and/or disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct by Dr. Soares,” the document alleges.

The document also alleges Soares has “failed to co-operate” with an investigator assigned to his case.

He’s also accused of being “engaged in an act or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.”

Soares is set to appear at a series of disciplinary hearings in Toronto from Jan. 12-16 and Jan. 26-30, most of which will likely run throughout the entire day.

If the College’s discipline panel finds the accusations against Soares to be true, he may be reprimanded, fined up to $35,000 and his certificate of registration may be revoked.

While at McMaster, Soares was the associate chair of research in the department of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences. He was also director of the Women's Health Concerns Clinic.

Illinois regulators have disciplined Springfield psychiatrist Dr. Duttala Obula Reddy for alleged sexual misconduct with a female patient.

Springfield (Illinois) psychiatrist suspended for ‘sexually inappropriate’ conduct

A Springfield psychiatrist who took over the care of a female patient victimized by “sexually inappropriate” conduct at the hands of another psychiatrist in the same clinic was disciplined by the state this week for sexual misconduct with the patient.

Officials from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued a temporary suspension of the license of Dr. Duttala Obula Reddy, a psychiatrist at Psychiatric Associates of Central Illinois, 1124 S. Sixth St.

For the time being, the state's action prevents Reddy from continuing to practice medicine legally. Reddy, a 64-year-old Chatham resident, couldn't be reached for comment, and an office manager at Psychiatric Associates didn't return a phone call from The State Journal-Register.

According to documents from the state, Reddy began providing psychiatric care and treatment to the woman at Psychiatric Associates in 2013 after her previous psychiatrist, Dr. Kripakaran Puvalai, resigned from the clinic in September 2013.

Puvalai, 58, was suspended from the practice of medicine by the state in October 2013 for engaging “in a pattern of sexually inappropriate conduct with multiple female patients of Psychiatric Associates.” Those patients included the patient whose care was taken over by Reddy, state officials said.

Puvalai, whose license remains suspended, was disciplined for flirting with and inappropriately touching several female patients between 2009 and 2013 while he practiced at Psychiatric Associates and worked as a consulting psychiatrist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' outpatient clinic in Springfield.

Puvalai also was punished in the early 2000s by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, during his psychiatry training in Springfield, for a lack of professional conduct and failure to maintain appropriate boundaries with patients.

[...]

This isn't the first time Reddy has been punished for conduct that allegedly crossed professional boundaries.

[...]

Read more: http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150101/NEWS/150109978/

This is one of those things that just invokes rage

A hidden outbreak of sexual abuse in British hospitals has been discovered, based on police reports in the last three years. A significant proportion of victims were molested by mental health personnel.

As Reported in the Guardian

Be sure the check out the full story at the link Also see this related news item in the Dailly Mail and this news report in the BBC from last year

Sexual violence soars in UK hospitals

Records show 50% rise in reports of sexual attacks, with more than 1,600 in past three years

A hidden outbreak of sexual abuse in British hospitals has been disclosed in new figures revealing that more than 1,600 attacks were reported to police in the last three years.

Records obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act show a 50% rise in reports of sexual violence in hospitals since 2011. It includes a total of at least 157 rape allegations.

Statistics on sexual abuse reports in hospitals were released by 38 out of 45 UK police forces. They document 1,615 attacks that are known about including cases on NHS wards, private clinics and other health centres. But prosecutors have said that up to 90% of sexual abuse goes unreported, suggesting the true figure could be much higher.

Last year the Metropolitan police received reports of 17 rapes and 124 other sex abuse crimes inside London hospitals.

Most police forces were unable to provide a firm breakdown of the types of hospitals where rapes and sexual abuse had been reported. However, the Met, which accounted for 20% of all reports, said the issue was a particular problem in mental health units, with a significant proportion of alleged victims identified as vulnerable due to mental health problems.

Luciana Berger, the shadow minister for public health, said the figures revealed a serious problem for the NHS and called for an urgent review of hospital security.

Individual cases of abuse in hospitals have been well documented but this is the first time the scale of the problem has been reported. The figures account for all reports of abuse, although a small number are understood to relate to historic attacks that occurred before 2011.

One victim described being groomed by her mental health support officer for five months. When she bumped into him years later it triggered a suicide attempt before she eventually reported him. However, the man resigned before the investigation concluded and authorities were unable to take action against him.

“I was in a vulnerable position at the time; certainly not in a position to consent to what he was doing,” she told the Guardian. “What have I gained by coming forward? Nothing. I’m just a person who has made allegations that haven’t been proven.”

In another case, a mental health patient described psychiatric hospitals as a “playground for predators”, after she was raped up to 60 times by a member of staff. The woman had been taken to Little Brook hospital in Kent after a breakdown and was warned she would be sectioned if she tried to leave. She described her ordeal to the BBC earlier this year. “At times I was on a very heavy amount of Valium, not to where I was unconscious, but the sedative combined with my already defeated self, I was like putty. He would pull the covers back, do what he had to do and leave, all very quickly. I didn’t move.”

When asked whether anyone else at the hospital knew about her abuse, the woman said: “I strongly suspect it can’t have been completely missed. I can’t believe how it could have been so frequent and not picked up on.”

She was eventually paid £100,000 compensation, but her attacker avoided jail after receiving a suspended sentence. A third case saw the care assistant Naraindrakoomar Sahodree jailed in 2010 for repeatedly raping a multiple sclerosis sufferer in her bed at a central London hospital. He had managed to get the job despite already being struck off the nurses’ register. In court, his victim said that Sahodree made sure she could not call for help by removing her warning buzzer.

Berger said: “A zero-tolerance approach to sexual abuse must be pursued in the NHS. All victims should feel safe to come forward and every incident properly dealt with by the police, courts and health service, to ensure every perpetrator is brought to justice.”

Berger said it was particularly worrying that people in mental health units appeared to be at high risk. “These are often some of the most vulnerable patients and their safety must be guaranteed,” she said. “Ministers must order an immediate review of security, with a focus on mental health units.”

Nat Miles, senior policy and campaigns officer at Mind, said: “It’s completely unacceptable that sexual abuse is so prevalent within mental health units. Many people told us they are often seen as vulnerable and therefore an easy target by perpetrators, and are more easily discredited and less likely to be taken seriously if they report a crime.” She added: “Too often, crimes on wards are dealt with internally and not reported to police. It’s vital that frontline staff are adequately trained, so crimes are taken seriously, and dealt with quickly and appropriately.” An NHS England spokesperson said: “It is of course essential that both NHS and independent hospitals do everything to ensure that patients are safe and feel safe in their premises, and where concerns arise the police must be able to bring to bear the full force of the law.”