(The background music shifts tone dramatically to a wispy, light, contemplative energy.). Though many of these deaths have been caused by street drugs such as heroin and illegally manufactured fentanyl, the nations opioid epidemic was sparked by the kinds of painkillers medical providers prescribed. Christi Calles: His doctors office was just rocked out. He tied the knot with his beautiful wife Dr. Petra. But maybe, just maybe, he showed too much. But as I talked to more patients, they started saying things that really surprised me. This is The Experiment, a show about our unfinished country. Khazan: He worked in the timber industry, and one day at work, he got overheated and disoriented. 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. And you can kind of look at it like locker-room talk . Though the system came slowly for Young, during the years he was being investigated America underwent a national reckoning about opioids. [Laughs lightly.] So hes a little out there. The next year, Jeff prescribed M.Y. Young had also allegedly begun siphoning off $100 almost every day from the clinic for his personal expenses, according to former employees. He didnt mind saying a curse word or two.. Even if the treatment doesnt work, it feels good to be listened to when youre used to being ignored. Toward the end of PreventaGenix, the nurse practitioner so many people had praised deteriorated, according to former employees. When one patient told Young over Facebook Messenger that she was in shitty health and about to jump off a bridge, he prescribed her a cocktail of several different drugs, including fentanyl. 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. 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. States largely rely on medical boards to regulate practitioners, but these entities have a reputation for leniency. Unnamed guest: I cant believe he stabbed himself (Fades under.). He would try to squeeze in even more patient visits each daysometimes well over 50, former employees sayand would either forget to document services or would document services he hadnt provided. The allegations against Young seemed to take a toll on him, though. But she also told me the story of her ex-husband. Hed wear Halloween masks and make off-color jokes. In September 2014, Young, Reitz, and Patel opened their first clinic and called it PreventaGenix. I said, um, So what are yall doing after-hour? Khazan: Does that change how you feel about him? According to police reports and court records, his second ex-wife, Dawn, claimed that throughout their relationship Young repeatedly pushed, threatened, and attempted to rape her. Khazan: A lot of them, unfortunately, went with it. The DEA raided Jeffs clinic and seized all of his computers and thousands of doses of the opioid hydrocodone. A woman I spoke with who has worked for seven doctors offices in the area estimates that about three-quarters of medical visits there result in an opioid prescription. Khazan: The first time I watched this video, I just heard Jeff making excuses. Thats the big joke. Doctors, in theory, would only prescribe to people who needed the drugs and would monitor patients so they wouldnt get addicted. He pleaded not guilty to the . (One employee, Karla Wright, testified later that she had never seen Young have sex with women at the office. Khazan: When Jeffs indictment became public, LeAnnlike many of his former patientswas suspicious at first. And it was immediately clear that he is not your average medical provider. every time. Hey, are you paying attention? (A meandering guitar melody enters the background. Heres what I can tell you. Scott Deberry: You go to the doctor, and you tell them whats wrong with you, and they look at you like, Oh, its nothing. (Four years later, the health department received a complaint about this testosterone sideline, but the complaint was never assigned to an investigator, according to Pickering.) The next morning, the office manager, Kristie Gutgsell, would clean up after them. Why didnt anyone try to put a stop to this? I just had a lot of questions about how could this happen, you know? How was a nurse practitioner whose behavior was so outrageous allowed to treat patients for so long? ET on January 28, 2021. They are often too under-resourced and understaffed to keep a watchful eye on all medical providers. It was just rocked out. Tanya Ballard: I think people are Just didnt like Jeff. The men each contributed $40,000 to the endeavor. (Fades under.). And no education whatsoever, Phillips jokes. the rock doc' jeff young. Hows it going? So it just kind of, I guess, comforted me. So you got to be a good judge of character. Multiple surveys show that people tend to trust health-care workers more than they trust many other professionals, including police officers and clergy members. Supposedly candid confessions from Young about his life are interspersed with complimentary interviews with patients. Khazan: When I first started talking to Jeffs former patients, I thought I understood this story. 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. Hes prescribing drugs that people want, another man added. They didnt openly harass anyone who criticized them. 1:32. If a patient would text him a compliment, he would blast it all over Facebook, one former employee told me. Khazan: But the pilot also showed the other side of Jeff. Off camera, Young allegedly prescribed 1.4 million addictive pills and had sex with female patients. As so often happens with irresponsible medical providers, Youngs popularity in the communityalong with an indifferent, slow-moving bureaucracyallowed him to operate for half a decade despite initial warning signs and then multiple arrests and investigations. (Soft percussive synthesizer music plays.). Having hordes of fans seems to have allowed Young to buy more deeply into his own rock-and-roll fantasy, which in turn gave him the confidence to broadcast his life through even more videos and updates. I dont wear underwear. MY died on August 25, 2015, from an apparent drug overdose. Another said, I was thinking of you today and how much you have helped me.. Longoria: There are many pieces to the puzzle of how opioids found their way into so many medicine cabinets. In April 2019, he was indicted on drug-trafficking charges, along with five other medical providers in Jackson, two of whom were the supervising physicians Young, as a nurse practitioner, was required to have. The cost of producing the Rock Doc pilot, about $2,000, was entirely paid for by the clinic, Gutgsell claimed in a deposition. Jeffrey Young was one of those people. As the nursing boards investigation of Young inched along, another agency launched its own probe into the Rock Doc. Young: (Over the sound of a pool-filtration system.) #saturdays at noon est to hear #nikkidarling chat with the #RockDoc Jeff Young II #musicmeetmedicine Starts at 12pm est. Heres what I can tell you about the JY2, all right? (Fades under.). She would get phone calls at her house, answer, and hear only strange whispers, she said in a court hearing. The men each contributed $40,000 to the endeavor. Khazan: Or stitch someone up after they cut themselves on a wine glass. Always have been for the patient. Listen to the trailer for, The Hard-Partying, Rock-Obsessed Nurse at the Center of a Massive Opioid Bust. 40 members in the TDBauto community. One former patient who had a falling-out with Young told me he or someone associated with him attacked her on the internet forum Topix, calling her a whore and a drunk. She said her home address and photos of her adult daughters were posted on the site, along with rape threats directed at her daughters. Longoria: And what part of the crisis were you most focused on? 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. Obesity and diabetes are rampant; so is chronic pain. 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. Strippers, tattoo artists, and rock-band groupies saw a kindred spirit in Young and came to him as patients. And the word that kept coming up when people described Jeff is comfortable. Khazan: Christi had really appreciated what Jeff did for her. [Khazan laughs, then Calles emphasizes each word that follows.] The daughter, Melody, actually works in her dad's vet clinic. Through his lawyer, Michael R. Working, Phillips did not return several requests for comment. In November 2016, the health department threatened to file charges against Young before the board of nursing. Of course other doctors dont write as many prescriptions, the implication seemed to be. Naylor: (A long beat and a breath.) It really meant a lot to me. The clinic sat on a quiet road crammed with other medical practicesa sleep doctor, a dentist, a nephrologist, an orthodontisteach in its own . I talked to him a couple of weeks ago. And most doctors youve seen, they give off this persona as like, Im too cool. Scott Deberry: When I told him, I said, Every time I go to a doctor and tell them I feel like I have the flu, they look at me as if Im delusional.. With a heavy Mercy me, Phillips produces a pair of womens panties from a bag. Khazan: In his Periscope videos, Jeff insisted it was all fun and games, and people were just criticizing him because of his style. Additional audio from Purdue Pharma, The Rock Doc TV Show, @JY2RocDoc, and Bat Pig Pictures. Dont worry, my tattoos dont like you either, one image reads. Khazan: LaRhonda Scott Deberry is a 54-year-old former teacher who lives in Memphis. In May 2019, shortly after Young was indicted, I traveled to Jackson to try to understand the place that gave rise to the Rock Doc. She would wake up to find that all her car doors had been opened overnight. 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. But, in theory, there should have been a check on all this. But none of these barred the Rock Doc from getting drugs into the hands of patients. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is currently in jail awaiting trial. The opioid epidemicwhich appears to only be getting worsehas made clear that wherever pain exists in America, grifters will follow. Scott Deberry: Everyone in his office was all white. I asked to speak with him for this story, but because of a gag order on the case, his lawyer declined interviews with me. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? Khazan: The way I first got to know Jeff Young was through videos he posted online. Young: So Im gonna not have a cigar. Three, two, one. The clinics aim would be to halt the parade of miseriesheart attacks, early deaths, hospital billsbrought on by the obesity epidemic. In addition to steroid shots, Young prescribed her oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall for her various medical issues. Right? One employee recalled him sometimes being too drunk to see patients. But they helped create the opioid crisis all the same. When the local news station, WBBJ, posted a story about Youngs case on Facebook, the usual chorus of defenders raised their voices. They didnt play Stairway to Heaven or have Periscope accounts. (There were different Jeff Youngs in [the Records Management System] and I had very little information so he was not added to the report, the police report states.) 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. She wasnt the only patient to stick by him. Calles: Oh my gosh. 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. I mean, you could just kind of tell you could trust him. And the consequences might have gone beyond sexual abuse and addiction. (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. He didnt pull any punches, she said. They entered the office and ordered the clinics staffers to lie on the floor. When it was getting close to the end of when I was going, it would be packed. Olga Khazan: At the time, there wasnt a lot of limits on pharmaceutical companies being able to tell doctors that. Listen to the trailer for Holy Week. Theyre standoffish towards you. 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. Longoria: The result is that more than 450,000 people are dead from overdose in the last 20 years. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. Khazan: So Ive written a million stories about this. All of them said that they didnt think Jeff sexually abused them. Calles: And I mean, he didnt dress like your average doctor. And were gonna send a message. They called it the single largest crackdown on prescription opioids in history. Young: So, the, uh, the sinister ministerthat would be me (Fades under again.). The first move of any significant consequence for Young came in early 2017, when the DEA raided the clinic. Thats very distressing Yeah, Im shocked, you know? Tennessees nursing board, the main agency that has power over nurse practitioners in the state, launched its investigation into Young within a year of PreventaGenix opening. 14:46. You ready? FNP Jeff Young Jr. shares his life with his fans and promotes a healthy and fun lifestyle to make you "young" at heart! One former employee told me its not clear whether Young was exchanging prescriptions for sex or just giving his many girlfriends the medications they asked for. He would still be allowed to prescribe testosterone and cough syrup with codeine, however. But it played [Emphasizing.] After PreventaGenix shut down, Young told his patients on Facebook that they could contact Reitz and Patels attorney to get their medical records. Brown hair, green eyes, amazing body. He smells them again. The whole thing was Very Online. He raises a glass filled with red wine, as if in a toast. This is Aalto. Who cares? All throughout the past few months, Youngs fans have papered his Facebook wall with loving messages. Nurse practitioners have played a key role in Tennessees opioid epidemic. She doesnt think Young was the one who drugged her, but she believes nevertheless that she was drugged. Have you ever been to a doctor and you just didnt feel comfortable? 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. Khazan: Which was exactly what she liked about him. Yeah, thats prettythats very distressing. Khazan: LeAnn Naylor was the secretary for the mayor of Jackson when she started seeing Jeff as a patient. He blasted heavy metal at his private practice and filled his Instagram feed with photos of himself smoking cigars. The cause of death, according to the letter, was a probable cardiac event due to polypharmacy, or the simultaneous use of multiple drugs.. Khazan: And some of what she saw really weirded her out. There were reports of after-hours partiespossibly of Jeff having sex with his patients. (Endo denied the allegations.) Will be glad to take the balance out of your ass. To another, Jeff asked, You want to come by for a checkup tomorrow? Young would continue to prescribe drugs there for two more years. Youngs story raises the question of where care crosses into harm. Naylor: Yes, he does. Trial dates have been set for "Rock Doc" Jeffery Young, his supervising physicians, and two more medical professionals recently indicted on additional drug trafficking charges. 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. Eventually Shirley Pickering, the nursing-board investigator who was looking into the allegations against Young, also grew terrified of him. Sometimes patients seeking opioids go to different providers until they find one who is willing to prescribe to them. Youngs case provides a rare glimpse into the ways patients wind up addicted to the powerful painkillers fueling the national opioid epidemic. Downtown has an old-fashioned square, a few coffee shops striving for trendiness, and some suburban standbysMcAlisters Deli, Kohls, Chilis, Panera Breadall connected by well-maintained roads and featuring black oceans of parking lots. had lower back pain and complained of numbness in his left arm. The half-dozen former patients who did agree to talk with me were mostly people who wanted to defend Jeff. Why would you go to this doctor? Young: Listen, I am for the patient. A restaurant called the Little Rebel displayed a Confederate flag. He messaged at least five female patients about sex and filling prescriptions, prosecutors would later say, detailing the anonymized encounters in court. was found dead of an apparent overdose. To have a medical provider be polite to you, accept you, maybe even dig through your charts to find the root cause of your ailmentsit can be validating. Jackson, Tennessee. (Topix has since been shut down.) Federal prosecutors who charged him in a massive opioid bust say he overprescribed painkillers, often for money, notoriety, and sexual favors.. Khazan: Jeff had been good to Tanya in the clinic, which was an experience that she didnt usually have with doctors. Dan Reaves, a local radio host on whose show Young occasionally appeared as part of a marketing plan, described Young as medically gifted. Young was, in short, a medical provider who acted like everyones best friend. Rumors started to spread in town that strange things were going on in Jeffs office. They described Young to me as intelligent, as knowing almost as much as a doctor would knowor maybe even more. 0:06. Occasionally he would glare at his ex-wife Dawn, who was in the gallery. Sound design by David Herman. From that day on, he saw him for everything. Ill meet you there. She told me that Jeff took her pain seriously. Sometimes the two men would fight, and broken glass would litter the floor. And Im like, Oh. [A beat.] But Young was eager to let the world know that he was no typical nurse practitioner. #coffeeplease #noontime #rockrageradio www.rockrageradio.com (Fades under.). (The DEA declined to comment on Youngs case for this story.) Young was late to the office almost every day. But when he suggested it the way he did, I took it seriously. Theres actually a diagnosis called white-coat hypertension. Its when your blood pressure spikes in a doctors office because the whole experience is nerve-racking. 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