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Jay Doctors Request Leaves Of Absence From Hospital Staff After Federal Raid
August 15, 2011
Less than two weeks after their private medical practice office was raided by federal authorities, two Jay doctors have requested leaves of absence from the medical staff at Jay Hospital.
Dr. Cleatious David Smith and Dr. John-Stewart Michael Smith will take a hiatus from Jay Hospital for an indefinite period. Both still hold an active medical license in Florida and will continue in their private practice at the Jay Medical Clinic. The doctors, however, surrendered their DEA licenses to write prescriptions for narcotics during the federal raid at their clinic in late July.
The other two physicians in the practice, Dr. Marian B. Stewart and Dr. Jeffery S. Kelley still hold their DEA licenses and are able to issue all prescriptions, including narcotics. The investigation does not include Stewart, Kelley or Jay Hospital, which continue to operate with business as usual.
Agencies including the FBI, federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the Attorney General’s Office, the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Law Enforcement raided the Jay Medical Clinic on July 28, seizing patient and medical practice records.
David Smith has been a licensed physician in Florida since 1980, while Michael Smith has held his physician’s license since 2003. Neither man has any public complaints on file with the Florida Department of Health.
Pictured top: Federal and state agents raided the Jay Medical Center in late July. Pictured inset: A patient is turned away from the closed clinic by Florida State Trooper Todd St. Clair. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
25 Responses to “Jay Doctors Request Leaves Of Absence From Hospital Staff After Federal Raid”
Both Drs are Great my family loves them
My husband and I travel from the west coast to visit his family every summer. My 72 year old mother-in-law has seen Dr. Smith forever. I am very familiar with her medical concerns/conditions. I’m the nurse in the family, so I often get questions about conditions, injuries, medications, etc. I was completely horrified by what I found when we arrived in June 2011. My mother-in-law was doped up and barely able to function. She ran to Dr. Smith’s office atleast 4-5 times while we were there. When I went through her prescription bottles, I found 3 different narcotics, sedatives, sleeping pills, psychiatric meds and various pills for “nerve pain.” Her mentation was so altered, she couldn’t even really tell us where her “pain” was. Dr. Smith prescribed all that, plus sent her several times to the ER for shots of demerol and phenergan!! She had NO idea how dangerous taking all these medications was. Slowly, we helped her to wean off of the medications. Slowly, we saw her come out of this drug-induced fog. Narcotics are only affective for ACUTE pain, NOT chronic pain. You don’t have to be some criminal or bad person to be addicted to prescription medications. Dr. Smith is an irresponsible drug supplier. He never ONCE refered my mother-in-law to any kind of specialist for any of her problems- something that any responsible doctor would do!!! Dr. Smith is contributing to the devastating drug problem in these rural towns. Many people, I’m sure, are selling these narcotics and sedatives to help supplement their income or to purchase illicit drugs. As an ER nurse, I see it all the time. It’s usually the most smallest, rural hospitals who go unoticed. Thank God the state of Florida was watching. And believe me, you need to be prescribing outragous amounts of controlled substances to get the government to notice!! Dr. Smith is NOT a good doctor. I don’t care what you say. He could have killed my mother-in-law!!! Amazing!
If any of you use Dr. Mike Smith or Dr. David Smith, and are concerned because the DEA took your medical records and refuse to give us our copies back, you can call 453-7802. You will have to leave a voice message, but I have done this every day since they have broken the HIPAA Law and my Doctor/Patient confidentiality has been broken all because our great Governor Rick Scott wants to cause problems for great Physicians like both Dr. Smiths. Please call and voice your opinions on the fact that you want your medical records back ASAP. Call them every day as I have. They say their investigation can take up to 2 years, but that’s crazy. Let’s get them off of their butts and get our records back in the hands of our Physicians where they belong.
Just a Little Information: Thank you for correcting me, I stand corrected.
I want you to know if you do not like what took place or the way it took place( I really have a big problem with that part) You need to voice your opinion to you state Representative, while you still have a voice. I e-mailed State Rep. Douglas Broxson this morning, and received a personal phone call from him about 30 mins ago.. The system still works, he helped to restore my faith in it. So if you are out-raged at how this situation was handled, then let you voice be heard, other than just on this or PNJ site.
Dr. Kelley isn’t an “intern”, Sandy. He is an internist.
According to the American College of Physicians website,
“Doctors of internal medicine focus on adult medicine and have had special study and training focusing on the prevention and treatment of adult diseases. At least three of their seven or more years of medical school and postgraduate training are dedicated to learning how to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases that affect adults. Internists are sometimes referred to as the “doctor’s doctor,” because they are often called upon to act as consultants to other physicians to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems.”
The same website also answers the question of “What is an Internist” as,
“Simply put, internists are Doctors of Internal Medicine. Doctors for Adults.® But you may see them referred to by several terms, including “internists,” “general internists” and “doctors of internal medicine.” But don’t mistake them with “interns,” who are doctors in their first year of residency training.”
If you understand the definition of PILL MILL… Then you know that is not the case with either Dr. Smith. What I really have a problem with is that it seems like the Smith Dr’s. were targeted, plan and simply. Why would the other 2 doctors in the offices be giving out very many meds anyway, a pediatrician, who is she going to give them to children? The other one is a intern, how many will he write? The focus has been on how many prescriptions a doctor writes, and we leave the patient with no responsibility on how she/he takes the prescribed med. What are you going to do with Dr’s. who do nothing but write pain meds, like arthritis Dr’s… or orthopedic Dr’s….. I am a patient of Dr. C. David Smith…. I will not be changing Dr’s. I do think that Both Dr. Smith’s did the right thing for their patients and themselves, by taking a period of time away from the hospital, now how many doctors are going to step up and fill that void? They do need time to concentrate on their next step…. cause this site and others have tried and hung them, before ever being found guilty of breaking any law. Dr. David Smith and Dr. Michael Smith you have my support, and not just because one of you is my Doctor… But because you are both good men who would never hurt anyone on purpose or NEVER WRITE PRECIPTIONS TO GET A PAYBACK ( which is what a Pill Mill is). Thank you for serving this area and your patients for many years.
REGARDING:
” he would not fix the problem ”
I don’t know the situation, but you should remember you can’t fix every problem or the cemeteries would be empty.
David for reality
there are options,pain management DOES go to jay!!!there are also a number of good pain management options that exist,not all that solves these problems are the option of DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wish these md’s well i hope these problems are addressed and solved///god bless you dr’s!!!!
all i have to say is i lost my mother at age fifty and she thought he was a great doctor to till he would not fix the problem just more pills till she was hooked on them. Now me and my brothers and sister have to live without our mom . Her grandson was born a month after she died. Do u think Dr. Smith came to see her on her death bed after she been seeing him for five years no. I feel sorry for the ones that really need there meds but the bad ones have messed that up. Im sorry for filling like this but if he was such a great doctor my mother would be alive today and the new doctor she had to start seeing said that and he has been in pratice for thirty years.
and by the way just because we are patients of dr.smith does not mean we are drug addicts.some ppl comment of here about spelling.ooopppsss i spelled something wrong just alittle while ago,AND I’AM NOT HIGHT!!!! I TYPE FAST AND SOMETIMES I MAKE MISTAKES…SO THERE PPL …BAHAAAAAA
to the ones that say dr.smith is a pill mill are ignort,and should be ashamed.i have alot of medical problems.and i don’t walk around being messed up.my mediaction that i take does not make me high.for those who comment on varity of medication like lortab,may make a few people high,and some not.i have a cousin that goes to a doctor there,and does not see the smith’s.the dr.that she does see gives her lortabs,sleeping pills,headache pills,and she stayes messed up for days at a time.that doctor should be the one investigated,not the smith’s.and get this!!! the dr.that she has never gave her a mri or x_ray.all she has to do is fake it so she can get what she wants.now that’s a junkie. for most of us we are in pain,and then there’s some that are pure pill users.i just hope that the smith’s are doing okay,and i hope all this is all just a mistake.to all the employers that work for the smith’s,i will be praying for you all.
Im thankful folks can’t get these prescriptions easily. But I dont think the State should’ve taken their license like that knowing that Jay is isolated and without pain management Dr.s. Can’t they investigate without taking the license?
I do feel for all of the patients of the Smith’s that have had to be cut off from their pain medicine wheather it be for real pain or imaginary, the pain is real to them.
@Patient of Dr David Smith.. Yes, you are absolutely correct.. There are many people who suffer chronic pain (spinal injury, cancer, etc.) that can only be mitigated by narcotics.. This type pain never goes away, and it would be inhumane not to try to help these people.. The sad part is that there are also the abusers who make it very difficult for those with legitimate pain.. You are also correct in that most of the doctors in this area are not accepting new patients, and those who do will probably be reluctant to prescribe any narcotics to a former patient of either of the Dr Smiths.. This is a sad situation for many good people who are in great pain.. They are the ones who will really suffer..
I guess it’s time to load up and go to miami for our fixes.
Well….Michael has been my Dr. for several years and has been the most compassionate Dr. That I have ever seen…I hope that someone questions me about them because I will tell them about how he will actually sit and listen to whatever your issue may be and not just rush in and out of the room to get to the next patient so they can make more of the almighty dollar….like so many physicians do and yes I do know this because I work with Dr.’s every day! I will continue to use use Michael as my doctor as long as he practices! I have never been a patient of his Dad, but am absolutely positive that his compassion and caring manor was instilled in him by his parents who happen to be the backbone of our community…Jay would not be where it is today without their contributions to better our small town!
When someone comes to the doctor and says they are in pain, its the doctors job to determine the pain or what the issue is.
The doctor knows a lot of people are probably pill heads, but what if they have legit pain and you dont treat them? You have to in good faith treat them for the illness or problem they describe.
The combat mentality of the “War on Drugs” is an inappropriate response to variations in professional prescribing practices. As baby boomers age many are developing medical conditions requiring pain management. These tactics render it increasingly difficult to obtain medications needed for quality of life and ability to function productively. These issues are medical, not criminal, and should be addressed by a system of evidence-based peer review and recommendations, not a SWAT team assault on a medical office. Do some agencies have budgets to justify?
EVER Dr. gives out pain meds and if they don’t, all the patient has to do is call another Dr in another area to get it. I thought the state monitored this situation, not by Dr’s giving it out, but by patient. Everytime a patient is given a controlled substance, it should be logged into a computer to show everytime they get it, not just who gives it. I know oa Dr in the local area that has been giving my mother pain medicine for YEARSSSSSS, won’t prescribe physical therapy, just meds. It irritates the mess out of me…..if it were logged, the state would see how many years she has been given this and would hopefully do something about it!
I had wondered what the C of C. David was. Now I understand why he doesn’t use it.
I wish them both well, hoping they’ve done nothing wrong and can continue to serve the people of Jay and surrounding areas in the future.
Shame on you! There are many who have legitimate health concerns that necessitate narcotic pain medications. Now, we are given the daunting task of finding another doctor, which is not easy as most of the ones I’ve called have said they are not taking new patients.
I say………….. Lock your doors and batton down the hatches ………. they WILL get it one way or the other…………
these two should be ashamed of themselves. there are a LOT of people that are terribly addicted to pain meds and now they are coming out of the woodwork left and right. EMS and the hospitals are being bombarded now and its a big mess.
I wonder how many of the so-called “pillheads” you “know” are actually disabled & elderly patients you “know of” that are now finding it that much more difficult to obtain their legally prescribed medications.
It’s hard to read nuance on text-only boards, but methinks I detect a lack of compassion in your post.
I know a lot of pill heads that have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off because they have not been able to get their fix… GOOD I say!