She was referred to Jeff by one of her friends. He was like a friend. Be part of The Experiment. Reitz says he and his girlfriend came up with the unwieldy namea futuristic combination of prevent and genetics. But the more time I spent thinking about it, the more I started to realize that Jeff has a point. Two bouncers made sure she got home, but when she woke up in bed the next morning, her eyes were black, her nose was broken, and her mouth was bleeding. The resulting addictions were blamed on reckless patients, rather than the fundamental chemistry of the opioids themselves. Rock Doc TV. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? Its light and upbeat.). Stephanie had been in an abusive relationship and dealt with a slew of other traumas. Another compared Young to a brother and called my reporting disrespectful.. Hey, are you paying attention? 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. In July 2016, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began looking into allegations that Young was overprescribing opioids. The whole thing was Very Online. Instead, Young began by kicking Reitz out of the business, Reitz told me. 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. Over the past two decades, opioids have claimed more than 450,000 American lives. She said, He latches on to young single mothers, and he rushes in and wants toquote-unquotesave them.. You may not like my sexy-ass beard. (Laughs heartily.). LeAnn Naylor: I have not had a lot of positive interactions with doctors. He may have that, but hes not Hes down to earth. They are often too under-resourced and understaffed to keep a watchful eye on all medical providers. Young seemed to have been expecting them. Nurses are consistently rated higher in honesty and ethics than all other professions that Gallup asks about, by a wide margin, the polling firm said in a January 2020 survey. After the hearing, Young was jailed pending his trial, which is currently scheduled to be held this spring. 1:32. Case 18-11780-BLS Doc 45 Filed 08/02/18 Page 1 of 1041. I am a, uh, nurse practitioner. Young grabs them and takes a big whiff. Never give up God is full of second chances, one woman wrote. Khazan: And sometimes theyd even ask their followers and fans to back them up. Yes. It wasnt like any medical office Id ever been to. About four years after its investigation began, the nursing board finally held a hearing to consider his fate. A restaurant called the Little Rebel displayed a Confederate flag. You know that. 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. Naylor: (A sharp inhale.) In September 2014, Young, Reitz, and Patel opened their first clinic and called it PreventaGenix. This ingratiating tendency allegedly extended to handing out prescriptions. (In response to a request for comment, a health-department spokesperson noted that, according to state law, the department cant suspend medical licenses without first giving practitioners the opportunity to demonstrate compliance regarding the allegations against them. Brown hair, green eyes, amazing body. He smells them again. (Youngs attorney claimed in court that only about 25 percent of his patients were.) Years before the launch of PreventaGenix, Young had already been accused of abusing his nurse-practitioner license. Khazan: And some of what she saw really weirded her out. Young was by no means nationally or even regionally known. A new court filing, first reported by The Tennessean last week, portrays the Rock Doc as a menacing figure at the intersection of the opioid crisis and the #MeToo movement. Young: Hi, my name is Jeff Young. Meanwhile, LeAnn Naylor, the secretary of Jacksons former mayor, first told me over email that she stood by Young after his hearing, but then recently said shed started having doubts because Young would frequently hit on her adult daughter. Early in the epidemic, Purdue gave doctors OxyContin fishing hats and swing-music CDs to encourage them to prescribe more of the drug. Every time. Naylor: And I remember him saying, Bring him to the office. They entered the office and ordered the clinics staffers to lie on the floor. She once saw someone running across her yard into the woods. I had had back surgery, and I really had real problems that no one wanted to listen to me about. Scott Deberry: When I first was going in the office, I could go in there and thered be maybe 10 of us in there. He soon opened a new clinic, which he called GeneXis Health. Khazan: The Rock Doc, Jeff Young, has been in jail for almost two years, awaiting trial. Not that theyre not watching internet porn. Khazan: Do you feel like Jeff has done more harm than good? I mean, I worked at a bank for 15 years, and when youve worked at a bank and youve cashed checks, you have to judge people in two seconds. But she also told me the story of her ex-husband. Pharmacists began to refuse to fill his prescriptions. Young was among them. 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. But it played [Emphasizing.] Calles: I really am so thankful that he suggested that to me, because if he hadnt have, I probably wouldve never done it, because I wouldnt take anybody else seriously enough to even think about doing it. By the end of this hearing, you will be asking what on Earth took the medical board so long, Pennebaker, the prosecutor, said in court. Other doctors dont post pictures of themselves with motorcycles and scantily clad women, either. The music plays on.). I dont wear underwear. You may not like my tattoos. Though Young at first just seemed to go along with the project, he grew more invested after the first visit, the cameraman told me. I mean, he had his doctors lab coat on. I have found accounts of at least 40 other medical providers in the country who have been accused of exchanging sex for addictive drugs. Were tracing your fucking account now, so you better be prepared to reap the whirlwind of your bullshit., As he gathered followers, Young began to deploy his social-media presence to hunt down and intimidate his former employees and ex-friends, some of whom told me they felt threatened by Young and his followers. The lack of oversight in the Young case is in keeping with practices seen throughout the opioid crisis. Many people trust doctors even when theyre harmed by their treatment, and a 2008 study found that people are more likely to spend time researching a new employer or a new car than vetting a new surgeon. 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. Why didnt anyone try to put a stop to this? I just had a lot of questions about how could this happen., Further reading: The Hard-Partying, Rock-Obsessed Nurse at the Center of a Massive Opioid Bust. Federal prosecutors who charged him in a massive opioid bust say he overprescribed painkillers, often for money, notoriety, and sexual favors.. (Dawn did not press charges at the time, and she declined to speak with me for this story.). Music by Tasty Morsels and Nelson Nance. Khazan: But the pilot also showed the other side of Jeff. It fit neatly, at least, into a story I was already really familiar with: It was the greedy provider who was allegedly taking advantage of his patients. But it seemed like she wasnt the only one getting pain meds from the Rock Doc. The former patient told me she became afraid to leave her house. Naylor: I said, Go see Jeff. And she said, Id rather not. And I said, Why? And she said, Because if I go see him, hell start texting me and calling me. And I said, And wanting to go out with you? And she said, Yeah. Thats the thing. But the allegations against him point toward what can be permissible, even celebrated, in a medical system built on profit. And you can kind of look at it like locker-room talk . But none of these barred the Rock Doc from getting drugs into the hands of patients. (The music changes tone, becoming a little more up-tempo and treble-heavy.). In 2013, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that is usually accompanied by widespread pain and fatigue. Yeah, thats prettythats very distressing. Oh, look, I got a new haircut today (Fades under.). Most doctor appointments, after all, average a nerve-racking 17 minutes, in which you spill out a complicated medical history and pray the doctor has a good solution. Long after the criminal charges against him became known, many of Youngs patients and friends came to his defenseincluding some whom he had seemingly wronged. The resulting videos are typical scenes from a medical practicepeople donning gloves, waiting in chairsspliced together over a heavy-metal soundtrack. Listen to the trailer for, The Hard-Partying, Rock-Obsessed Nurse at the Center of a Massive Opioid Bust. They didnt openly harass anyone who criticized them. The opioid epidemicwhich appears to only be getting worsehas made clear that wherever pain exists in America, grifters will follow. MY died on August 25, 2015, from an apparent drug overdose. The clinic sat on a quiet road crammed with other medical practicesa sleep doctor, a dentist, a nephrologist, an orthodontisteach in its own . As the court spent two days scrutinizing his years of alleged misdeeds, he sat mostly silently. He made them feel comfortable in a way that no other doctor did. Sometimes the two men would fight, and broken glass would litter the floor. When one video was apparently manipulated by one of his detractors and posted online, Young threatened whoever might have done it. Tanya Ballard: I think people are Just didnt like Jeff. So, no, I cant say that. He was like, No, we do Botox and stuff for people, and dah-dah-dah-dah. Through his lawyer, Michael R. Working, Phillips did not return several requests for comment. Then it fades out.). 1986-present. After he opened the new clinic, Youngs sexual behavior with patients allegedly continued, as did the towns willingness to ignore it. You may not like my rock and roll, you may not like my piercings, you may not like my sexy-ass beard, but you know what? In an email to The Atlantic, Working said that when it came to Phillipss actions, there was no direct threat. On it, they found evidence of Young having sex with many different women, one of whom appeared to be motionless and had her eyes closed, a DEA agent testified later. Khazan: He worked in the timber industry, and one day at work, he got overheated and disoriented. Were small enough where we still talk, Jerry Gist, who was the mayor at the time, told me. They go on working. One of the differences between physicians and nurse practitioners is that physicians are regulated by a state Board of Medicine, while in most states, nurse practitioners are regulated by a state Board of Nursing. I told him about this podcastexplained to him what a podcast was. Multiple surveys show that people tend to trust health-care workers more than they trust many other professionals, including police officers and clergy members. 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. Khazan: But she did remember this one hint shed had that something might be wrong in Jeffs office. [Laughs.] Naylor: Thats a really hard question for me to answer, because I believeour whole family believesthat he saved my husbands life. (Fades under.). It doesnt sound like much of a sella middle-aged man doling out medical advice in a city midway between Memphis and Nashville. Why would you go to this doctor? You may not like what I stand for. The Daily Beast Automated News Feed No Censorship, Just News. Off camera, Young allegedly prescribed 1.4 million addictive pills and had sex with female patients. She would wake up to find that all her car doors had been opened overnight. (Patel did not respond to requests for comment.) Theres clear evidence that opioid manufacturers knew the drugs were addictive, yet they marketed them aggressively anyway. For the cosmetically minded, he hosted alcohol-fueled Botox parties. Khazan: In the pilot, he presents himself as more of a friend than a medical professional. In his early adulthood, he was a straitlaced young Republican who had short hair and wore a tie much of the time, one of his former co-workers told me. Ballard: Most doctors dont wanna touch you, and they only wanna address one issue at a time. every time. Naylor: They would look at me and say [Dismissively. 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. 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. When I visited the clinic shortly before the hearing, Young had just finished up with a patient. An active and fun show following the life of FNP Jeff Young II at work and his life after work. Though the system came slowly for Young, during the years he was being investigated America underwent a national reckoning about opioids. The department suggested that he surrender his license in order to resolve the matter quickly, but according to a report from The Tennessean and The Jackson Sun, a defiant Young rejected that offer. Khazan: Which was exactly what she liked about him. 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. One story I found in a letter from Jeffs nursing-board case stuck with me. (Ringing leads into a soft, humming organ song.). [Khazan laughs.] Together, they are the parents of three children and have seven grandchildren. The patients of the nurse practitioner and aspiring reality star Jeffrey Young say he helped them like nobody else could. While Youngs antics could be a nightmare for his staff, his pool of patients increased as word about his practice spread. Supposedly candid confessions from Young about his life are interspersed with complimentary interviews with patients. Khazan: Jeff was working as a nurse practitioner at a clinic called Preventagenix in Jackson, Tennessee. Always have been for the patient. Kevin: (In a Periscope video.) To one patient, who he prescribed hydrocodone, amphetamines, and fentanyl, he said, I accept all insurance. Khazan: The videos were sarcastic and loose, intimate in their own bizarre way. Who cares? All throughout the past few months, Youngs fans have papered his Facebook wall with loving messages. At least 50 women are thought to have come to the clinic to have sex with Young, some of them allegedly doing so in exchange for drugs, according to court testimony. Our team also includes Gabrielle Berbey, Emily Botein, Matt Collette, Tracie Hunte, and me, Natalia Ramirez. Khazan: LaRhonda was skepticalbut she was also dealing with a lot of pain. Youngs devotees have maintained for years that he was a great man on a noble mission, and that people who spoke against him didnt understand his radical approach. Before long, the three men hatched a plan to found a network of health clinics that would check patients cholesterol levels and offer diet and exercise advice. He gave Young total control over what was recorded. I asked to speak with him for this story, but because of a gag order on the case, his lawyer declined interviews with me. Some of the doctors who have been accused of exchanging drugs for sex in recent years threatened patients that they would cut off their supply of painkillers if they didnt gratify them. Calles: Oh my gosh. Scott Deberry: But after a while, when you read stuff, how many people could be wrong? But one thing that I was really curious about is how you actually went from having opioids being a thing that existed to having opioids be a thing that existed in peoples medicine cabinets. Though both she and Reaves said Young should be held accountable for anything he did wrong, Stephanie told me that she forgave him. Longoria: Pharmaceutical companies marketed these drugs aggressively to doctors. He has three children, two sons, and a daughter, from his first marriage. If PreventaGenix staffers suspected that a patient was abusing drugs, they would sometimes try to fire the patient, by telling him or her not to return to the clinic. Jacksons cheeriness, though, is at odds with the populations somewhat grim physical health. Country music lyrics, guitar tabs/tablatures, chords source #1. Apparently she felt strongly enough about it that he wouldnt leave her alone if she went to see him. Scott Deberry: Kinda made it start seeming like he was unprofessional. Actually very nice, yeah. His friend Melanie Lupino, a local bartender, said he got girlfriends easily, so she was baffled by the notion that he would have to give people drugs to get sex. a dangerous combination of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant. Though Young claimed that he also fired drug-seeking patients, Gutgsell testified in a deposition that he would meet some patients after hours and write them prescriptions anyway. MY came to PreventaGenix complaining of lower-back pain and numbness in his left arm, and asked for refills of pain medications. Why would he do this? Its a small town; people talk. Lots of people refused to talk to me because they fear Young, but many others refused because they love him. (A meandering guitar melody enters the background. They just, like, keep their distance from you. Young was late to the office almost every day. Thats okay. If you speak against me, she remembers him saying, youre gonna regret it.. Use the hashtag #TheExperimentPodcast, or write to us at theexperiment@theatlantic.com. Leave her alone if she went to see him, hell start texting me and calling me remember! The Center of a sella middle-aged man doling out medical advice in a city between! 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