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Title: Pediatrician suspended amid sex allegations
Source:
Seattle PI
URL Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/236835_schnall17.html
Published: Aug 17, 2005
Author: ANGELA GALLOWAY
Post Date: 2005-08-17 13:55:01 by Mr Nuke Buzzcut
Keywords: Pediatrician, allegations, suspended
Views: 25
By ANGELA GALLOWAY The Department of Health on Tuesday also accused Dr. Bill S. Schnall of inappropriately prescribing an amphetamine and Viagra, interfering with the state's investigation and threatening a patient, according to state records. Department documents include allegations that Schnall repeatedly checked the testicle size of one patient, discussed masturbation with young men and ordered one young man, who called Schnall "Dad," to stand in front of him in his underwear or naked, promising not to repeat some misdeed. He is not charged with a crime. The King County Prosecutor's Office decided the allegations did not constitute criminal conduct. Schnall, who has practiced for nearly 30 years and recently served as president of the medical staff of Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, denied the allegations and said he plans to fight them. Eight patients are mentioned and identified only by number in the state's accusations. At least two Schnall had treated since they were born. Schnall said the allegations largely stem from a single patient he took in like a son, allowing him at times to stay at his home and subsidizing his college expenses at a cost of nearly $42,000. "No great deed goes unpunished," said Schnall, 60. "The problem was that he was wanting all the positive things that he could get from me but wasn't willing to take any discipline or consequences of his actions." "When you deal with a large population of fragile, young people like that, there is always the risk of patients not being able to handle your advice and not being compliant with the suggestions you give them -- one of whom has made some unbelievable, unsubstantiated hearsay ...allegations against me. "And I am going to contest them to my last day." Schnall, who lives in Shoreline and practices out of a clinic in the Richmond Beach neighborhood there, must immediately stop practicing medicine pending the outcome of a hearing, expected to be held Aug. 30. State Health Department officials issue emergency suspensions such as that against Schnall only in the "most egregious of circumstances," said Lisa Noonan, disciplinary manager for the Medical Quality Assurance Commission within the Health Department. "It can't just be an allegation," Noonan said. "We need to have the evidence in hand that we think proves that allegation." Health Department officials have not yet interviewed all eight patients, Noonan said. Two filed complaints against Schnall in October and April, both alleging "boundary violations." Schnall said he was interviewed by the King County Sheriff's Office in March, but Sheriff's Office spokesman John Urquhart said his office has no pending cases against him. Deputy Prosecutor Scott O'Toole confirmed that he has had informal discussions with King County detectives regarding Schnall and two of his patients. But "we found there was no basis on which to bring charges, from what I recall," he said. "There wasn't criminal conduct there." Children's Hospital suspended the privileges Schnall has held there for nearly three decades in the wake of the state's accusations, according to the hospital's written statement. State documents say one patient -- the young man Schnall considers his main accuser -- had a relationship with the doctor in which they referred to each other as "Son" and "Dad." Schnall gave the young man an amphetamine to treat attention deficit disorder, and other members of his family took the drug with the doctor's knowledge, according to state documents. Those same documents quote e-mails in which Schnall professed his love for the young man, saying, "I honestly don't think that anyone LOVES YOU as much as I do." The documents also include allegations of discipline in which the young man "would be required to stand in front of (Schnall) in his boxer shorts or completely naked, and promise that he would not repeat the unacceptable conduct." The discipline was called "oathing." He took photographs of the young man naked, which was supposed to be part of the discipline. In another occasion, the doctor took off his clothes, then stood close to the young man in his bedroom in his college fraternity. Schnall "masturbated until he had an erection and then hit (the young man) and verbally abused him," according to state documents. The young man ultimately wrote an e-mail to Schnall, demanding "Do not pursue me. Do not contact me or even attempt to contact me in any way." Schnall agreed to let a second patient with a history of substance abuse drink beer and smoke marijuana in limited amounts, according to state documents. That patient ended his relationship with Schnall when the doctor required him to strip and be hosed down with water. The young man refused. Schnall said he does not believe he has crossed any lines with patients. "I really, honestly, absolutely feel I've never done that. It depends on how you figure out the boundary," he said. "I've had patients who've called me up and said, 'I need to see you and I need to see you now.' " At times, five or eight of them have come to his house to talk. Sometimes his wife was there, sometimes she wasn't, he said. "If that's crossing the boundary -- I don't think it is. I think it's concern and compassion of an individual who (you are) really, really involved and concerned about." "Everything I did was with the most diligent concern for the well-being of not only this patient but for all the patients that I deal with," he said, adding that some have his cell phone number and call and e-mail him at all hours seeking advice on everything from health matters to financial struggles. Schnall said his patients include adolescents who are recovering from drug abuse, come from dysfunctional homes and have spent time in jail or inpatient psychiatric clinics. "Patients who are -- I don't want to say 'dependent' -- but (who) are involved with me to the extent where it's important that I be there for them," he said, adding he sees some as often as weekly. SCHNALL BIO Dr. Bill Schnall was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. He came to the Pacific Northwest in 1971 for an internship, then a residency at what was then called Children's Hospital in Seattle. He had earlier gone to Kenyon College in Ohio, where he graduated with honors and was Phi Beta Kappa, then earned a degree from Cornell University Medical College. After his residency, he served in the Navy. He returned to the Seattle area and opened a pediatrics practice in Shoreline. He is one of several doctors who practice at Richmond Pediatrics. He is on the staff at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. He was president of the hospital's medical staff from 2002 to 2004. He also is a past president of the North Pacific Pediatric Society. Schnall also is well-known in civic affairs in Shoreline, where he lives and where he was a member of the local school board from 1988 to 1996. In April, Shoreline named him a "Shoreline Star," an award for people who have made a positive impact on the town. The star awards were begun as part of Shoreline's celebration of its 10 years as an incorporated city. Schnall and his wife have two daughters. His curriculum vitae on his practice's Web site lists his hobbies as gardening, woodworking and jogging with his cairn terrier.
Pediatrician suspended amid sex allegations
State accuses doctor of inappropriate behavior
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER 
State officials suspended the license of a prominent local pediatrician and former Shoreline School Board president Tuesday, saying he engaged in improper and sexually explicit behavior with troubled adolescent patients.
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