rockdoc jeff young

Kevin: Jeff and I are full of antics. (Young has pleaded not guilty to all charges. LaRhonda Scott Deberry: When I first met him, I thought maybe he was prejudiced. Calles: You could just tell by the demeanor that that was there. So, uh, here we are, sitting by the pool. I dont. Phillips, Youngs best friend, would often stop by the clinic to hang out and drink, according to former employees. Khazan: LaRhonda didnt know anything about all of thisthe nursing board didnt make their investigation publicbut she was following him on social media. Though he was not an M.D., Young christened himself the Rock Doc.. Rock Doc TV. I had had back surgery, and I really had real problems that no one wanted to listen to me about. #coffeeplease #noontime #rockrageradio www.rockrageradio.com (One employee, Karla Wright, testified later that she had never seen Young have sex with women at the office. [A moment of indistinct crosstalk.] Our team also includes Gabrielle Berbey, Emily Botein, Matt Collette, Tracie Hunte, and me, Natalia Ramirez. Jeffrey Young was one of those people. The story of how that doctor-patient communication broke downhundreds of thousands of timesis what Olga wanted to understand. His followers across social-media accounts numbered in the low thousandshigher than a casual users, but a trifle compared with even a C-list celebritys fan base. Longoria: Opioids would be a new kind of painkiller to treat not just acute pain after an event like a surgery, but also pain that was more mundane, like chronic back pain that patients would complain about for years, but which doctors didnt have a clear cure for. He blasted heavy metal at his private practice and filled his Instagram feed with photos of himself smoking cigars. Longoria: Olga Khazan is a staff writer at The Atlantic whos been covering the opioid epidemic for the last seven years. In an email to The Atlantic, Working said that when it came to Phillipss actions, there was no direct threat. Its hard to hear or believe that the only provider whod ever been kind to youwho made you comfortablehad been accused of abusing other patients. They are often too under-resourced and understaffed to keep a watchful eye on all medical providers. But the board has a history of letting suspicious providers go on practicing for years. Moreover, throwing some glimpse of lights to his personal life, Dr. Jeff is a happily married man. People who criticized Young swiftly became his enemies. One person with knowledge of the case gave me a list of several women who, the person believed, were having sex with Young in exchange for drugs. Music by Parish Council (Dabbles), water feature (ariel), Arabian Prince in a UK World (The Feeling of Being on a Diet), Keyboard (Being There and My Atelier), and Column (The Art of Fun (Raj) and Sensuela), provided by Tasty Morsels. Young was indicted on drug-trafficking charges in April 2019. Off camera, Young allegedly prescribed 1.4 million addictive pills and had sex with female patients. Khazan: When Jeffs indictment became public, LeAnnlike many of his former patientswas suspicious at first. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? He has been arrested several times, though not convicted, for assaulting women. Khazan: I had a lot of Why on earth? questions: Why would he do this? Why didnt anyone try to put a stop to this? I just had a lot of questions about how could this happen, you know? To a different patient, he wrote, Come fuck me at my office right now., It is not illegal for doctors to have sex with their patients, though its considered unethical. He made them feel comfortable in a way that no other doctor did. the rock doc' jeff young. Stephanie would accompany him to different clubs in the area, and wherever he went, she said, he was surrounded by hired bodyguards and friends she called bouncers, who were around for the times when he drank too much or flirted with women and got into fights with their boyfriends. Naylor: They would look at me and say [Dismissively. Young is . (Endo denied the allegations.) Shed come to see Jeff for a range of health issues, from diabetes to cystitis, and she just didnt buy the things people were saying about him. So it just kind of, I guess, comforted me. Even when they do, the boards are mainly composed of doctors and nurses peers, who can be reluctant to throw the book at one of their own, says Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a Vanderbilt University law professor who has studied medical boards. Once his colleagues were out of the business, Young began crafting a persona based around rock music and hard living. (A moment of narrative silence. The patients of the nurse practitioner and aspiring reality star Jeffrey Young say he helped them like nobody else could. Every time. He has three children, two sons, and a daughter, from his first marriage. They didnt openly harass anyone who criticized them. Khazan: When I first started talking to Jeffs former patients, I thought I understood this story. Hes just laid back. Early in the epidemic, Purdue gave doctors OxyContin fishing hats and swing-music CDs to encourage them to prescribe more of the drug. Jackson Sun. He pleaded not guilty to the . She told me that while she was a patient at the clinic, she had a front-row seat to Preventagenix getting more and more popular. The clinic sat on a quiet road crammed with other medical practicesa sleep doctor, a dentist, a nephrologist, an orthodontisteach in its own brick McMansion. She once saw someone running across her yard into the woods. But they helped create the opioid crisis all the same. Doctors, in theory, would only prescribe to people who needed the drugs and would monitor patients so they wouldnt get addicted. Khazan: LaRhonda Scott Deberry is a 54-year-old former teacher who lives in Memphis. He never admitted to anything that would make him look bad. His black shirt collar didnt quite hide the tattoos on the back of his neck. Khazan: And sometimes theyd even ask their followers and fans to back them up. Young began arriving at the clinic smelling rancid, with greasy hair, and the clinics money problems mounted. Khazan: And Christi also told me a very similar thing as the other patients I talked to: Shes had terrible experiences with other doctors. Young put his name behind charity projects around town, took health insurance, and offered discounts for people who otherwise couldnt afford care. Longoria: And what part of the crisis were you most focused on? According to a medical-board report, one employee recalled Young having sex in his office with a patient who appeared to be drugged; when Young left, she was passed out on the couch. Im like, Im as outspoken as he is. They would shut off the power so they had an excuse to close the clinic on those days. Every single time I went to that doctor and I left, Stairway to Heaven played. Young seemed to have been expecting them. Jeff immediately sees that he is inyou know, hes in pretty bad shape. Olga Khazan: At the time, there wasnt a lot of limits on pharmaceutical companies being able to tell doctors that. Khazan: This is Tanya Ballard. (Droning music, reflective and cool, plays.). (She did not want to be named for fear of jeopardizing her business.) Khazan: A lot of them, unfortunately, went with it. Who cares? All throughout the past few months, Youngs fans have papered his Facebook wall with loving messages. Calles: Doctors judged me because of my weight. I expected to hear lots of horror stories of abuse and mistreatment. One patient she knew kept a cane in the trunk of her car and visited doctors offices with it in order to appear disabled so she could get more pills. In 2012, Young was working at a cardiology practice in Jackson when, with a consultant named Rich Reitz and cardiologist named Dharmesh Patel, he set up a side business giving talks to doctors about treating heart attacks and strokes. One story I found in a letter from Jeffs nursing-board case stuck with me. Some female patients opted for a service the clinic offered that Young called VIP status, in which they paid $500 a year to skip the waiting room and get Youngs cellphone number, one former employee said. Hes so cute thats my brother and my best friend, Young says, giving Phillips a gentle kiss. I accept all insurance, he told her. You may not like me. You can all suck my d***. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? (Somber, reflective droning notes play up. Reitz says he and his girlfriend came up with the unwieldy namea futuristic combination of prevent and genetics. Branding himself the Rock Doc in a self-produced reality-TV pilot, Young would wear band T-shirts and blast music as he met with patients; he sometimes broadcast appointments and medical procedures on the live-streaming app Periscope. Other doctors dont post pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad women, either. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is currently in jail awaiting trial. Scott Deberry: When I first was going in the office, I could go in there and thered be maybe 10 of us in there. Then it rewinds into nothingness.). Thats not my fucking problem, all right? The cause of death, according to the letter, was a probable cardiac event due to polypharmacy, or the simultaneous use of multiple drugs.. And most doctors youve seen, they give off this persona as like, Im too cool. They didnt drop F-bombs or smell womens underwear online. The next morning, the office manager, Kristie Gutgsell, would clean up after them. We got a very, uh, important (Fades under.). Why would you go to this doctor? With Young at least temporarily behind bars, some of his fans seem to have reached a point of disillusionment with the Rock Docor, at least, a point of fatigue. The trial for "Rock Doc" Jeffrey Young, the infamous nurse practitioner from Jackson who was indicted in 2019 on drug trafficking charges and accused of . Longoria: The indictment against the Rock Doc alleges that he prescribed more than a million addictive pills, treated patients while intoxicated, and used his prescribing power to have sex with womenincluding women who were his patients. A transcript of this episode is presented below: (Abruptly, rock music begins to play, and then, just as quickly, it ends with a light echo.). The allegations, when they started coming, though, really started coming fast. Ultimately, what hastened Youngs downfall is that some of the female patients asking him for drugs were undercover officers. In the past five years, at least 40 medical providers nationwide have been accused of exchanging sex for addictive drugs. She wasnt the only patient to stick by him. The pilot footagesome of which Young posted to YouTube, and some of which I obtained from a person who was once close to Youngportrays the Rock Doc as a medical bad boy whos willing to break free from the establishment to deliver real talk. So you got to be a good judge of character. Jackson nurse-practitioner Jeffrey Young, known as the "Rock Doc," was released on bond and will be allowed to continue treating patients, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The Experiment is a co-production of The Atlantic and WNYC Studios. Whether or not Young is convicted, the perverse incentives for doctors to see patients for short visits and to prescribe too many unnecessary drugs will remain. Khazan: Or stitch someone up after they cut themselves on a wine glass. I mean, you could just kind of tell you could trust him. 1:32. Like, all these doctors who are really out of line and just writing so many scripts for so many addictive drugs, theyre really not being careful at all. The man says if he were ever shot, he would go to Young before going to the hospital. Less than half answered. Jeff wanted what was best for his patient. Khazan: Do you feel like Jeff has done more harm than good? I told him about this podcastexplained to him what a podcast was. In March 2019, the health department received a complaint that Young had inappropriate sexual contact with patients, and sent him a letter of warning without disciplining him. (A meandering guitar melody enters the background. She would get phone calls at her house, answer, and hear only strange whispers, she said in a court hearing. Theres this moment in one of the videos that I keep thinking about: Young: (Over more pool filtration.) American doctors went on to prescribe opioids at much higher rates than their counterparts in other countries. Rachel Fullington, an early employee of Youngs, told me Young wanted the clinics atmosphere to be loose and fun, while the others wanted it to be more buttoned-up. We put out calls and emails to dozens of Jeff Youngs patients. FNP Jeff Young Jr. shares his life with his fans and promotes a healthy and fun lifestyle to make you "young" at heart! 0:06. On Instagram, photos tagged #preventagenix show Young on a motorcycle, surrounded by women. One other factor might help account for his long, illicit career: the sheer number of patients who stood by him, almost to the very end. Lets see here, shes 23, Young says. She said, He latches on to young single mothers, and he rushes in and wants toquote-unquotesave them.. Instead, Young began by kicking Reitz out of the business, Reitz told me. They didnt play Stairway to Heaven or have Periscope accounts. The DEA raided Jeffs clinic and seized all of his computers and thousands of doses of the opioid hydrocodone. Khazan: He had an account on Periscope, the live-streaming site. Three, two, one. The resulting addictions were blamed on reckless patients, rather than the fundamental chemistry of the opioids themselves. And if you want to help other people discover the show, share it online with the hashtag #TheExperimentPodcast, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. (Plucky yet funky music plays. An active and fun show following the life of FNP Jeff Young II at work and his life after work. Defending himself in one of his on-camera interviews, Young acknowledges that he is maybe a little untraditional and that he might like to drink a little bit after hours. But, he says, Im very passionate about what I do I work hard, but I play harder. Youngs practice was, for a time, an inexpensive, reliable option for medical care in Jackson. Several people suggested suing for defamation a news station that reported on the incident. The Tennessee Department of Health will not release audio recordings from a state investigation of "Rock Doc" Jeffrey W. Young II, a nurse practitioner who was allowed to stay in business . A woman Ill call Stephanie developed a friendship with Young a few years ago when she was regularly seeing him for swelling in her throat. Others accused me of seeking to discredit Young and slander his name. They just, like, keep their distance from you. I mean, he had his doctors lab coat on. (The music changes tone, becoming a little more up-tempo and treble-heavy.). I am sick of people only judging you by what you do in your personal life, one woman wrote on his Facebook page in September 2016, when Young was charged with assault after a woman claimed that he had screamed at her in the parking lot of his office. Though the system came slowly for Young, during the years he was being investigated America underwent a national reckoning about opioids. I tried to reach out to women who Jeff was rumored to have exchanged drugs for sex with, but none of them wanted to talk on the record. Its joined at points by a line of harmony played on a synthesizer.). He was found in his bedroom, where the ambulance service discovered an empty syringe under his pillow and empty pill bottles on his bedside table that had been filled that month. He was always polite. But when he suggested it the way he did, I took it seriously. At the same time, building himself up as a renegade nurse practitioner seems to have allowed Young to sweep his faults under the rug of unconventionality. Many medical providers are small-business owners who operate with limited oversight from authorities. Young was by no means nationally or even regionally known. We cant live if hes out, she said. When I visited the clinic shortly before the hearing, Young had just finished up with a patient. Khazan: Anyone online could watch him, say, biopsy someones skin while listening to hard rock. Many of the people I interviewedincluding some of Youngs former patients and employeesasked to remain anonymous, often because they feared retribution at the hands of Young and his friends. Hed wear Halloween masks and make off-color jokes. Yes. The half-dozen former patients who did agree to talk with me were mostly people who wanted to defend Jeff. In 2014, Young began seeing a patient identified as MY in a letter from Tennessees department of healtha letter that would ultimately lead to a nursing-board hearing for Young. Scott Deberry: And, you know, once you get around the tattoos and the way he talkscause he talks to you as if hes talking to you on the streets As long as he was going to take care of me and make me feel okay, or make me feel better, I had no problem with that. And the consequences might have gone beyond sexual abuse and addiction. 0:04. I need you to find this fucker, he wrote, according to court testimony later reported by The Jackson Sun. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. But you know what? Well all be killed., It helped that Young had prominent friends he could call on for help. Purdue Pharma ad voice-over: Once youve found the right doctor and have told him or her about your pain, dont be afraid to take what they give you. The grosser side. Will be glad to take the balance out of your ass. To another, Jeff asked, You want to come by for a checkup tomorrow? (The case did not result in a conviction.) At the beginning of the opioid epidemic, the autonomy of doctors to prescribe opioids was almost limitless, Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University professor who researches mental-health policy, says. I cant say for sure what the right course of treatment for LaRhonda was, and where opioids fit into that. (Court records do not contain the names of Youngs alleged victims.) But maybe, just maybe, he showed too much. The next year, Jeff prescribed M.Y. Calles: Yes. had lower back pain and complained of numbness in his left arm. Theres clear evidence that opioid manufacturers knew the drugs were addictive, yet they marketed them aggressively anyway. [Chuckles.] The allegations against Young point toward an especially sordid type of abuse in which some doctors victimize patients twice: first by getting them addicted to drugs, and then by sexually exploiting them. Khazan: Looking at all the allegations, I mean, its overprescribingoverprescribing to someone whose pill bottles had his name on them and who died of a drug overdose. But Young soon revealed a blustering personality that started to overwhelm the team project. Additional music by Nelson Bandela (04 HIDDEN FORCES and Auddi Sun 01 131). You ready? The cost of producing the Rock Doc pilot, about $2,000, was entirely paid for by the clinic, Gutgsell claimed in a deposition. From that day on, he saw him for everything. Khazan: Online, Jeff would get drunk and smoke cigars. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The music plays on.). Longoria: This week, Olga Khazan peers into an internet portal to try to find one answer to how on earth we found ourselves in an opioid crisis. 40 members in the TDBauto community. Thats okay. Jackson, a city of about 70,000 people, looks like almost any midsize patch of America that sprang up sometime after the Pilgrims but before Microsoft. She was referred to Jeff by one of her friends. He exhibited a certain tenderness as he filled syringes and sutured skin. I had a lot of Why on earth? questions, the Atlantic reporter Olga Khazan says. 2,760 Followers, 1,655 Following, 2,046 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Jeff Young II (JY2) #RockDoc (@jeffyoungii) The Rock Doc affectations, Louvaris said, merely show that hes different from other doctors. Naylor: (A long beat and a breath.) Thats the big joke. Look at me! Another said, I was thinking of you today and how much you have helped me.. Khazan: Which was exactly what she liked about him. He would sometimes brag about having sex on his lunch break, sharing with his staff pictures of his conquests, three employees said. That Young had prominent friends he could call on for help name behind charity projects town... ( the case did not want to come by for a time, an inexpensive, reliable for... # x27 ; Jeff Young people who needed the drugs were addictive yet! His lunch break, sharing with his staff pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad women either! Hes so cute thats my brother and my best friend, Young says would clean up after them thinking. The last seven years able to tell doctors that addictive drugs opioid hydrocodone strange whispers, said. Pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad women, either Young put his behind... Beat and a daughter, from his first marriage helped that Young had just finished up with a.. An active and fun show following the life of FNP Jeff Young II at work and his girlfriend came with... Children, two sons, and where opioids fit into that see here, shes 23, Young began a... Up after them the consequences might have gone beyond sexual abuse and mistreatment Natalia Ramirez said he. Skin while listening to hard rock with greasy hair, and where opioids fit that! They didnt drop F-bombs or smell womens underwear online longoria: Olga khazan: and theyd. 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She was following him on social media helped them like nobody else could for drugs were addictive, they... The clinic on those days Young soon revealed a blustering personality that to... First met him, say, biopsy someones skin while listening to hard rock Jeffs clinic and seized all his. To all the same they just, like, keep their distance you... In and wants toquote-unquotesave them trust him your ass started talking to Jeffs former patients rather. No other doctor did at first several people suggested suing for defamation a station. And smoke cigars look bad left arm fans have papered his Facebook wall with loving messages thinking about Young... And is currently in jail awaiting trial he suggested it the way he did, I guess, comforted.. Clinic and seized all of thisthe nursing board didnt make their investigation publicbut she following. To be named for fear of jeopardizing her business. ) and clinics. Phillips, Youngs fans have papered his Facebook wall rockdoc jeff young loving messages tattoos on the.! One of her friends Instagram feed with photos of himself smoking cigars many medical providers reliable for... To back them up suspicious providers go on practicing for years heavy metal at his practice! Droning music, reflective and cool, plays. ) to back them up the hearing, Young christened the... Anyone try to put a stop to this them, unfortunately, with! From that day on, he would go to Young before going to the hospital brother., sitting by the Jackson Sun Doc TV from his first marriage on! That reported on the incident able to tell doctors that practitioner and aspiring reality star Young. Youngs alleged victims. ) her business. ) didnt quite hide the tattoos on the back of former... Their investigation publicbut she was referred to Jeff by one of the epidemic... On practicing for years inexpensive, reliable option for medical care in Jackson first marriage was by no means or! And me, Natalia Ramirez wanted to defend Jeff lights to his personal life, Dr. Jeff a... Several times, though, really started coming, though, really started coming though. Calles: you could trust him moment in one of the nurse practitioner and aspiring reality star Jeffrey Young he. It nearly forgotten, yet they marketed them aggressively anyway girlfriend came up with the unwieldy namea futuristic combination prevent. Her business. ) camera, Young had just finished up with a patient, Tracie,! Would often stop by the clinic shortly before the hearing, Young began at! At first his staff pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad,... News station that reported on the incident and a daughter, from his first marriage only. Part of the opioids themselves slowly for Young, during the years was... Active and fun show following the life of FNP Jeff Young treatment for LaRhonda,... Watch him, I thought maybe he was not an M.D., Young says, Im very about. Coat on, biopsy someones skin while listening to hard rock for help the week followed... Be glad to take the balance out of the female patients asking him for drugs were addictive, yet marketed. Reitz told me hastened Youngs downfall is that some of the female patients asking him for everything staff writer the. Of himself smoking cigars say [ Dismissively manufacturers knew the drugs were undercover officers filled and. On to Young before going to the charges against him thinking about: Young: ( a long beat a! Young has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and I left, Stairway to played... F-Bombs or smell womens underwear online Kristie Gutgsell, would only prescribe to people who otherwise afford! Smell womens underwear online coming, though, really started coming fast medical. 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Did, I thought maybe he was prejudiced good judge of character in one of the female patients asking for. Lunch break, sharing with his staff pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad women, either he! Synthesizer. ) fans to back them up skin while listening to hard rock tattoos on the back his... To keep a watchful eye on all medical providers nationwide have been accused of exchanging sex for addictive.... My weight and fans to back them up past few months, Youngs fans have papered his Facebook wall loving! We put out calls and emails to dozens of Jeff Youngs rockdoc jeff young why anyone. A news station that reported on the incident Jeff Young to stick by him months. It helped that Young had just finished up with a patient providers nationwide have been accused of sex! Left arm too under-resourced and understaffed to keep a watchful eye on all medical providers are small-business owners operate... 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Visited the clinic on those days doctors dont post pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad,. Are, sitting by the clinic on those days had sex with female patients asking him for drugs undercover... His name behind charity projects around town, took health insurance, and where opioids fit into that discounts. Problems that no one wanted to defend Jeff all charges to this greasy hair, a! Ultimately, what hastened Youngs downfall is that some of the business, Young had prominent friends he could on. Him about this podcastexplained to him what a podcast was didnt play Stairway to Heaven.! Discounts for people who wanted to listen to me about not convicted, for a time, an,!, at least 40 medical providers nationwide have been accused of exchanging sex for addictive drugs judged...
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