Scott Moran, MD, CEO of Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, a maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital in Jessup, Md., is on leave amid allegations he bullied and threatened staff, The Washington Post reported Feb. 15.
Chase Cook, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health, which operates the facility through the department's healthcare system, confirmed to Becker's that Dr. Moran is on leave.
"The department can confirm that Dr. Scott Moran is an employee of the department and is on leave. Dr. Moran's date of hire at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital was Oct. 19, 2019. His current title is chief executive officer," Mr. Cook said.
He also said the hospital "is dedicated to treating its patients in a safe and therapeutic environment." However, he did not provide further information about the leave.
Dr. Moran's leave comes amid allegations made in a petition for a restraining order filed by health department employees Dwain Shaw and Nisha Madhaven and obtained by the Post.
In the petition, which was granted this month in Baltimore County Circuit Court, the employees alleged that Dr. Moran harassed and threatened his "employer and subordinates" using "electronic methods," according to the newspaper.
The petition also alleges Dr. Moran sent "racially suggestive messages" to workers even after being told not to contact them, that he engaged in "yelling, public humiliation and intimidating," and that he previously was accused of bullying other workers, the Post reported.
Dr. Moran did not immediately respond to the newspaper's requests for comment. The Post's attempts to reach his family also were unsuccessful.
Mr. Cook said the Maryland Department of Health "does not comment on personnel matters, nor can it comment on patient health information. The department is fully dedicated to the safety and security of our employees as well as the patients that we serve at Clifton T. Perkins and throughout the department's healthcare system."
The temporary restraining order against Dr. Moran, who previously worked as a physician in the Army, prohibits him from coming to Clifton as well as the state administrative offices for the Maryland Department of Health, according to the Post.
Dr. Moran and the workers who petitioned for the restraining order will be able to address the allegations during a hearing scheduled for later this month, according to the newspaper.
Read the Post's full report here.