For the 2nd time in five several years, a West Des Moines dentist is struggling with fees of poor sexual carry out.
The Iowa Dental Board has billed Dr. Phelan R. Thomas, whose exercise is located at 4100 College Ave. in West Des Moines, with “improper sexual make contact with with, or building suggestive, lewd, lascivious or inappropriate remarks or advancements to, a individual or a coworker.” The publicly available documents give no indication as to when the alleged carry out took location or irrespective of whether a patient or employee was included.
Thomas is also charged with unprofessional or unethical perform of some sort and with failure to comply with an buy of the board.
The unique carry out that is alleged, and which gave increase to the rates, is redacted from the publicly available statement of charges submitted by the board.
Less than a 2021 Iowa Supreme Courtroom ruling, licensing boards can advise the general public of the regulatory violations a licensee is accused of committing, but the perform that led to the rates being filed ought to be kept private until the scenario is resolved – a procedure that can choose months or even many years.
Thomas’ assertion of fees references three separate case quantities that point out they ended up initiated in 2021 and 2022, suggesting the costs entail more than one complaint or allegation. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.
In 2018, the board alleged Thomas had built lewd remarks and innovations to women of all ages in his office environment. At that time, the board said he had demonstrated “a pattern of generating incorrect remarks to and exhibiting inappropriate conduct with woman sufferers and students.”
Particularly, the board alleged Thomas created “improper advancements to (dental) rotation students” and had a “relationship” of some sort with a patient.
The board also alleged Thomas did not appropriately guard from bacterial infections, did not have on or transform gloves when ideal, applied improperly loaded sterilizers and failed to have the vital guidelines in area to dispose of health care squander and expired treatment.
The circumstance was settled when Thomas agreed to pay back a $1,000 fine and complete educational coaching in qualified boundaries. As aspect of the settlement agreement, he was barred from getting any students working in his business office and was prohibited from getting alone with woman patients at any time.
Thomas also agreed to coaching in infection handle and to have his an infection-control procedures monitored at his clinic. In addition, his license was put on probation for 5 yrs.
The Iowa Cash Dispatch was unable to arrive at Thomas’ legal professional for remark.
