Two Rhode Island Senators are calling for the dismissal of a doctor with a 2006 felony conviction who has been named chief of medical services of Rhode Island’s state psychiatric hospital.
Dr. Andrew C. Stone, 49, was appointed last month as the new chief of medical services at Eleanor Slater Hospital in Cranston. He has been working at the hospital since 2018, three years after state disciplinary records say Stone was declared to be in remission and regained his license to practice medicine.
Sen. Jessica de la Cruz, a Republican from North Smithfield, and state Sen. Hanna M. Gallo, a Democrat from Cranston, said in a joint statement released Friday that Stone’s history poses an “undue risk” to patients and staff.
“Above all else, hospitals should be concerned with safety and wellbeing,’’ Sen. Gallo said in the statement. “Putting someone with a history of sexual offenses in a position of power is taking an undue risk with patient and staff safety.”
Sen. de la Cruz said in the statement that she met with Slater hospital officials earlier this week. “I’m all for rehabilitation, but we’re not talking about a substance addiction or a minor offense,’’ de la Cruz said. “In this case, it’s more appropriate to prioritize the safety of those who cannot advocate for themselves.”
Stone pleaded guilty in 2006 to four felony counts of open and gross lewdness for exposing himself to boys at a YMCA in Seekonk, Massachusetts. Rhode Island Health officials revoked his medical license, but restored it in 2015, with restrictions, after Stone completed a treatment program in Texas and participated in almost seven years of treatment and monitoring. In 2018, the state removed him from probation. The same year, he went to work at Slater.
The state Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals — which oversees Slater — did not respond to requests for comment Friday. But the agency said in a statement a week ago that Stone is highly regarded for his work at the hospital. Stone is triple board certified — in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and addiction medicine.
Lynn Arditi, health reporter for The Public’s Radio, can be reached at larditi@thepublicsradio.org
