Khazan: And he posted dozens of videos there. In 2011, the couple got in a fight while visiting Panama City Beach, Florida, and it was determined that Young did throw, or shove, Mrs. Young from the bed to the floor, the police report reads. And doctorswho work in what is, after all, a service professionsometimes feel that its easier to pacify the patient than to push back. 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. Hed wandered off into the woods. Then and over the ensuing months, I spoke with dozens of Youngs friends, enemies, alleged victims, and former co-workers. He made them feel comfortable in a way that no other doctor did. Ballard: I dont believe Jeff overprescribed medication. He gave Young total control over what was recorded. But when he suggested it the way he did, I took it seriously. Some sought counseling, slept under their beds, or carried guns. You can all suck my dick! he yells at the camera in one Periscope video, a stethoscope around his neck and a cigar in his hand. Naylor: Thats a really hard question for me to answer, because I believeour whole family believesthat he saved my husbands life. Scott Deberry: But after a while, when you read stuff, how many people could be wrong? You may not like my sexy-ass beard. Khazan: I had a lot of Why on earth? questions: Why would he do this? And the word that kept coming up when people described Jeff is comfortable. The week that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination was revolutionaryso why was it nearly forgotten? Kevin: (In a Periscope video.) ), Youngs sexual desires and need to please patients allegedly soon blurred together. Shed come to see Jeff for a range of health issues, from diabetes to cystitis, and she just didnt buy the things people were saying about him. Rather than call for help, Young walked away and left me on the ground, she told me. And whats remarkable about the Rock Doc is that he streamed his private interactions with patients online. He was like a friend. The allegations, when they started coming, though, really started coming fast. * This article has been clarified to more accurately convey the details of Gutgsell's plea. He raises a glass filled with red wine, as if in a toast. Longoria: The result is that more than 450,000 people are dead from overdose in the last 20 years. PreventaGenix, with its Doric columns and grand portico, appeared to preside over the rest. When you got all kinds of money, said Jon Benjamin Sharp, a local musician who used to see Young around town, you got all kinds of friends. (Sharp made clear that he himself wasnt a fan of Youngs.) They just, like, keep their distance from you. Young seemed eager to hire lots of staff, but would end up firing them later. Many people in Jackson seemed to see themselves in Young. We got a very, uh, important (Fades under.). Why would you go to this doctor? Khazan: Or stitch someone up after they cut themselves on a wine glass. Youre just probably not feeling good. But they never believed us. In fact, he avoided doctors at all costs. Purdue ad doctor: These drugswhich, I repeat, are our best, strongest pain medicationsshould be used much more than they are for patients in pain. I mean, you could just kind of tell you could trust him. Years active. It was a story her daughter told her about a time she got sick. You need to be a certain kind of person to want a reality-TV show about yourself. Thats very distressing Yeah, Im shocked, you know? Thats the big joke. 1986-present. Khazan: Like, for example, here he is sniffing a pair of womens underwear with his sidekick, a friend named Kevin. All right, guys. Not that theyre not watching internet porn. Young was, in short, a medical provider who acted like everyones best friend. And no education whatsoever, Phillips jokes. Federal prosecutors who charged him in a massive opioid bust say he overprescribed painkillers, often for money, notoriety, and sexual favors.. [Laughs.] 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. Young and Phillips, both longtime musicians, reveal that theyre working on some rap songs about Youngs haters, then ponder how to do gang signs. In 2016, Young, who was 42 at the time, invited a cameraman to shoot a pilot episode about his life as a nurse practitioner in Jackson, Tennessee. Be part of The Experiment. 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. Its hard to hear or believe that the only provider whod ever been kind to youwho made you comfortablehad been accused of abusing other patients. Federal prosecutors who charged him in a massive opioid bust say he overprescribed painkillers, often for "money, notoriety, and sexual favors." Young's case provides a rare gl Copyright 2021 The Atlantic and New York Public Radio. You may not like me. Some of the pills had been prescribed by Young. And he said, You be sure and tell them that Jeff is the best doctor Ive ever seen. He said, Promise me you will tell them that. I said, I promise I will. I said, I will tell them that., (The music plays up for a long moment, then fades out under the narration.). She told me that while she was a patient at the clinic, she had a front-row seat to Preventagenix getting more and more popular. She texted Jeff. 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. There were reports of after-hours partiespossibly of Jeff having sex with his patients. Khazan: Jeff had been good to Tanya in the clinic, which was an experience that she didnt usually have with doctors. Its a shame, he told me, that Young got into so much legal trouble; think of all the people he might have helped. 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. Young put his name behind charity projects around town, took health insurance, and offered discounts for people who otherwise couldnt afford care. Lets see here, shes 23, Young says. 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. Purdue ad doctor: They dont wear out. (Lo-fi synthesizer music plays up. Hes prescribing drugs that people want, another man added. The cause of death, according to the letter, was a probable cardiac event due to polypharmacy, or the simultaneous use of multiple drugs.. Young: (Serious, and a little angry.) Whatever the inspiration, his new persona was good for business. Other female patients checkout sheets simply said No charge., Though he portrayed himself as harmlessly vulgar, Young could, in fact, get violent with women. Occupation (s) Guitarist. 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. One patient she knew kept a cane in the trunk of her car and visited doctors offices with it in order to appear disabled so she could get more pills. Hed wear Halloween masks and make off-color jokes. #coffeeplease #noontime #rockrageradio www.rockrageradio.com 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. He never admitted to anything that would make him look bad. Another said, I was thinking of you today and how much you have helped me.. Unnamed guest: I cant believe he stabbed himself (Fades under.). Even if the treatment doesnt work, it feels good to be listened to when youre used to being ignored. He would still be allowed to prescribe testosterone and cough syrup with codeine, however. #saturdays at noon est to hear #nikkidarling chat with the #RockDoc Jeff Young II #musicmeetmedicine Starts at 12pm est. Theres clear evidence that opioid manufacturers knew the drugs were addictive, yet they marketed them aggressively anyway. 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.. (A snare hit plays, and the music changes tone again. every time. 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. The grosser side. Why would you go to this doctor? Some people from the area said they had been harassed by Jeff and were afraid to speak out. 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. For the occasion of his detention hearing, Young wore a cerulean suit and a comb-over. And hed stream from inside the clinic sometimes. Jeff immediately sees that he is inyou know, hes in pretty bad shape. The patients of the nurse practitioner and aspiring reality star Jeffrey Young say he helped them like nobody else could. Rock Doc pilot testimonial: (Over heavy rock music.) Young: (Just after another person laughs.) She would get phone calls at her house, answer, and hear only strange whispers, she said in a court hearing. Khazan: In 2016, Jeff tried to broadcast his world even more widely. Through his lawyer, Michael R. Working, Phillips did not return several requests for comment. 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. Jeff refilled M.Y.s prescriptions for Percocet and Valium and gave him a new one for hydrocodone. I swear he didnt look at my leg for 30 seconds, and he told me exactly what it was, he says. His vision was, evidently, to one day launch a reality series of the same name. From that day on, he saw him for everything. In September 2014, Young, Reitz, and Patel opened their first clinic and called it PreventaGenix. 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. How far can medical providers go in giving patients what they want? So, no, I cant say that. 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. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information. Theyre standoffish towards you. (Laughs heartily.). Country music lyrics, guitar tabs/tablatures, chords source #1. It was just rocked out. They would shut off the power so they had an excuse to close the clinic on those days. Fact-check by Michelle Ciarrocca and Jack Segelstein. With a heavy Mercy me, Phillips produces a pair of womens panties from a bag. Whenever he ran into trouble, his fans would fill his social-media feeds with pledges of support. (Fades under.). 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. So, uh, here we are, sitting by the pool. Young: Even get all gussied up for tonight. By 2012, Young was allegedly supplying testosterone without a clear medical reason to high schoolers who wanted to bulk up. In confessional-style interviews, Young seems to enjoy offending anyone whos shocked by his approach. In 2013, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that is usually accompanied by widespread pain and fatigue. Music by Tasty Morsels and Nelson Nance. Jeff gets his nick name "Rock Doc" from his loyal patients. 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