WOODWARD, Okla. – A Woodward dentist who skipped town, leaving his staff unpaid and patients in a lurch, had his license suspended Friday morning by the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.
Dr. Phillip Powell has been practicing in Woodward for 24 years, and his staff said he’s had thousands of patients.
“Staff has been left abandoned without pay. Patients cannot access their records,” said Ilka Heiskell, who used to consult for Powell.
Leslie Miller was Powell’s office manager.
She said he told her via text message that he’d gone to Ukraine.
“It said that ‘I’m sorry. I am leaving. I don’t know what else to tell you. The United States has nothing else for me here,’” Miller said.
His staff said this is actually his fourth trip there and he had researched websites advertising Ukrainian brides.
“He told me he was in the Ukraine, where he wanted to be,” Miller said. “I said ‘Well, this is kind of the coward way to do this.’ I said ‘Why don’t you come back, and we’ll fix everything?’ And, he’s now not talking to me at all.”
Miller is not only out a job but her last two weeks’ pay, as well.
“My husband was laid off, and so and I have kids. One’s fixing to start college,” Miller said.
Powell also left behind patients, many with prepaid dental work.
“I gave him $16,987 to do implants in her mouth, and her mouth’s not done yet,” said Jon Herring about his wife, Patricia.
“He just picked up and left, lied to his staff members, didn’t pay them, lied to his patients, has patient appointments all the way through the end of May,” said Susan Rogers, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.
Rogers said they’ve encountered this situation before when a dentist has passed away, but nothing like this.
“We temporarily suspended his license until he comes back in the country to account for what has been alleged. And, patient abandonment is kind of a big deal,” Rogers said.
The Board of Dentistry also plans to work with other local dentists up in Woodward to try and help some of the patients with unfinished dental work.
