Dentist accused of unsanitary conditions

A north Spokane dentist faces sanctions for unprofessional conduct after health inspectors found that a cat roamed unclean examination rooms, instruments were insufficiently sterilized and staff was inadequately trained, according to the state Department of Health.

The office of Henry G. Kolsrud, 3718 N. Monroe St., remains open for business while he contests charges of unsafe and unsanitary conditions found during two separate state investigations detailed in a Dec. 5 Department of Health document.

Kolsrud’s attorney, Stephen Lamberson, said a lot of the charges were the result of allegations made by “a disgruntled employee who left on unpleasant terms.”

“Much of what was said was simply untrue,” Lamberson said, emphasizing that the charges were not the result of patient complaints and there was no indication patients were harmed in any way.

If the charges go unanswered, Kolsrud, 82, who was licensed to practice dentistry in 1953, would be subject to disciplinary action under state law, including potential loss of his license.

But first he is due a hearing before the state’s Dental Quality Assurance Commission. On Dec. 8, Lamberson filed and was granted a request for an extension until Feb. 10 to respond to the charges.

A Health Department team inspected Kolsrud’s office on March 28, and a Department of Social and Health Services team returned on April 12, according to a statement of charges. The charges were based on what the teams saw first-hand and what current and former employees told them, according to Josh Shipe, health service consultant for the Health Department.

Lamberson, who said his client was unavailable for comment, said Kolsrud has always provided excellent care.

“Now he’s serving a population that others don’t want to serve,” the attorney said, “the low-income and the ones who don’t have insurance.”

Lamberson said that’s not an excuse to violate health and safety regulations, “but it’s an important role and an important part of our story.”

However, the state terminated Kolsrud’s contract to provide Medicaid care to low-income patients on May 25, after the department’s inspection.

The state’s charges are chilling by any standard.

A cat roamed freely in Kolsrud’s dental offices and cat food was kept in the same refrigerator as dental supplies, according to the charges. On at least one occasion, the Health Department said, Kolsrud “scooped up feline feces and vomit with a spatula normally used for mixing dental impression fabrication material.”

On another occasion, Kolsrud “did not change or sufficiently sterilize dental instruments after use on patients or after dropping them on the floor,” according to the charges. He also is accused of touching patients and instruments while wearing contaminated gloves or no gloves at all, and not using or changing gloves between patients and after “touching contaminated appliances, his cat or the floor.”

Operating rooms and equipment were unsanitary, insufficiently sterilized and lacked barrier covers to guard against contamination, the inspectors found. The floors were carpeted and littered, and there was no separation between clean and dirty areas. The autoclave, used to sterilize instruments, was not used regularly. Autoclave bags were not used to store instruments, which were uncovered in drawers or in the open.

Mixed dental cement sat in the open air after being used on a patient or was used on another patient rather than being discarded. Inspectors found that the sink in the sterilization lab did not work.

The Health Department also accused Kolsrud of not protecting patients or staff against exposure to infection and of not providing employees with adequate training in the proper handling of contaminated laundry. Neither staff nor patients were provided with eyewear sufficient to guard against splatter or aerosol exposure, according to the charges.

Kolsrud was observed wearing a lab coat that was stained and dirty and had cat hair on it, the Health Department said.

The dentist also was accused of not being able to produce proof of hepatitis B vaccination or certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for himself or his staff. An emergency breathing device used to resuscitate patients was found to be inoperable.

Lamberson specifically denied many of these charges and said Kolsrud has taken steps to remedy others, such as the broken sink. There were deficiencies in the lab, he said, but Kolsrud was not using the lab, sending impressions out of the office for work.

“The cat was not allowed to roam the offices,” he said.

The large 1950s-era office in which Kolsrud practices has 10 to 12 “operatories,” or examination rooms, in two wings, the attorney said. Several of these were no longer in use. The cat may have been in this part of the building, which has since been closed off, he said.

Lamberson also rebutted charges concerning cat food in the refrigerator and Kolsrud’s petting of the cat before treating patients.

“The significant charges, Dr. Koslrud will deny,” Lamberson said, adding that the dental staff members will testify on behalf of their employer. “We hope we can settle this, but we will be prepared to conduct a hearing if necessary.”