Washington Department of Health
The state Department of Health recently released a set of lists naming health care professionals who were sanctioned with official actions in December and January. In Western Washington, actions were taken toward health care workers in Mason, Grays Harbor, Pierce and Clark counties.
This is a sampling of the complete list provided by the Department of Health:
Mason County
Stacy Lynn Harvey, a nursing assistant and home care aide, was charged with unprofessional conduct by the Nursing Assistant and Home Care Aide programs. In 2017, Harvey pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder — domestic violence.
Grays Harbor County
Shawn Richard Clark was denied a chemical dependency professional trainee credential by the secretary of health. Clark was convicted of seven felonies, 10 gross misdemeanors, and three misdemeanors between 2002 and 2017. He also failed to fulfill a requirement to undergo a substance use evaluation.
Pierce County
Jongmin Lee, a chiropractor, was charged with unprofessional conduct by the Chiropractic Commission. Charges allege that Lee touched a patient’s breast without clinical reason.
Kent R. Walker, an osteopathic physician, was charged with unprofessional conduct by the Osteopathic Board. In 2017 Walker was reprimanded by the Oregon State Medical Board, placed on probation, and fined him $5,000 in connection with actions related to five patients.
Janise West was issued a cease-and-desist order by the Unlicensed Practice Program. West is alleged to have advertised massage therapy services despite having no massage therapist license.
Brienna Kay Carlson was denied a certified medical assistant credential by the secretary of health. In 2016 Carlson was convicted on a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and stated on her application that she participated in a residential drug abuse program while incarcerated.
Clark County
Chester C. Hu, a physician, was charged with unprofessional conduct by the Medical Commission. The charges allege that Hu administered anesthetic to a 4-year old boy with developmental delays. After the dental procedure the boy developed complications and died. Hu is alleged to have put the patient at grievous risk of harm and contributed to his death after he failed to use appropriate monitoring equipment and neglected to assign an appropriately trained and credentialed person to continuously monitor the patient.
The Dental Commission ended probation for dental assistant Ashland Gribner, also known as Ashland Brown.
The Health Systems Quality Assurance Division works with boards, commissions and advisory committees in order to set licensing standards for more than 80 health care professions, ranging from medical doctors to veterinarians. Health care workers charged with unprofessional conduct have 20 days to respond to the Department of Health in writing in order to trigger a settlement process.
Information about health care providers is available on the DOH website at doh.wa.gov. Visitors to the website should click on the “How Do I” section for more information. The site includes detailed information about the license status of health care workers, including the expiration and renewal date of their credential, disciplinary actions and copies of legal documents issued after July 1998. The information is also available by calling 360-236-4700.
