VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - State health officials have suspended the license of a surgeon in southwestern Washington after he tested positive for controlled and illicit substances.
The Columbian reports the state Department of Health’s Medical Quality Assurance Commission announced Wednesday it had suspended the license of Dr. Robert Slater, alleging he is unsafe to practice medicine.
The report doesn’t list Slater’s current employer, but PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center spokesman Randy Querin said Slater had been employed with PeaceHealth and that he wasn’t currently working there.
Health Department documents say the suspension came after Slater’s employer reported in June that Slater exhibited signs of impairment and refused to submit to a urinalysis.
Health officials say a later screening came back positive for controlled and illicit substances but the substances for which he tested positive weren’t disclosed.
Slater has 20 days to respond to the charges.
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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com
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