The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) medical director, Jeff Blea, remains suspended pending a full administrative hearing, according to a ruling by administrative law judge Nana Chin.
In a 15-page document dated Friday, January 28 but posted to the Veterinary Health Commission’s website on Wednesday, Chin writes that although Blea does not currently practice veterinary medicine, it still ” does not guarantee” public safety.
“As long as the defendant has a license to practice, he is free to return to veterinary practice at any time. Allowing Respondent to practice and engage in veterinary medicine poses a risk to the health, safety and welfare of the public,” Chin wrote in the ruling.
According to a UC Davis spokesperson, Blea still administrative leave from his position as equine medical director.
At the beginning of the year, the California Veterinary Board announced that an urgent hearing had resulted in the temporary suspension of Blea’s veterinary license for a number of alleged crimes, including the willful use of drugs on Horse racing without prior examination, without diagnosis and without medical necessity.
Chin presided over a formal hearing on the temporary suspension on January 21.
“I’m definitely disappointed,” said Blea’s attorney, George Wallace. “But I don’t know, with the players involved, it was really a surprise.”
According to Wallace, the veterinary panel has 30 days to schedule a full hearing on the merits of the case after a defense notice, although he cautioned that it could take longer.
Wallace also suggested that Blea could seek “intervention” from the High Court in the meantime. “Under the provisional suspension, there is the right to request a review in Superior Court,” Wallace said.
“I hope that, by this time next week, we will have a clearer idea of where things are headed,” Wallace said. “But for now, it’s an ongoing process. There are many people whose opinions will be heard on all sides. “
The timeline of events leading up to the issuance of charges against Blea could be read here.
A key point in this case concerns the question of whether the position of equine medical director requires a license to practice veterinary medicine.
The position is first appointed by the dean of UC Davis, and the university then contracts with the CHRB for the appointee’s services.
Historically, equine medical directors did not require a license to operate.
But in its argument for the temporary suspension, the veterinary panel stated that Blea posed a “danger to public health, safety and welfare,” due to his oversight as a veterinarian. equine medical director in the high-profile inquest into the death of Bob Baffert- trained Medina Spirit (Protonico), Kentucky Derby winner, who collapsed and died after a scheduled practice session on the 6th. December at Santa Anita.
The CHRB responded to Blea’s emergency temporary suspension by appointing the executive vice-chancellor of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, John Pascoe, to oversee Medina Spirit’s dissection.
UC Davis then placed Blea in administrative leave on January 12, however.
“The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is aware the temporary suspension of Dr. Jeff Blea’s veterinary license has been maintained and is monitoring the situation as legal proceedings proceed,” a UC Davis spokesperson wrote in a statement. email.
“The School of Veterinary Medicine continues to fulfill its mission of providing equine medical director services to the CHRB,” the spokesperson added.
The CHRB dropped its weight after Blea, voting unanimously in caucus on January 20 on “their support and confidence in Blea to continue in its role,” according to a statement obtained by Reuters. released last week.
The trustees are “further committed to pursuing appropriate legal avenues to protect the board’s powers, as well as to protect the contract with UC Davis,” the CHRB wrote, adding that “regardless of the outcome,” the commissioner wrote. Blea has their full support and is confident to continue to perform her EMD role throughout the full trial.”
The TDN contacted the CHRB for comment on the latest ruling but did not receive a response by the deadline.
The Veterinary Board accused Blea of a number of offenses, including alleging administering medication to racehorses without prior testing to diagnose and determine medical need, failing to establish a “any” relationship between clients and veterinary patients and release non-FDA approved drugs for equine management.
One next TDN investigation found a broad consensus among veterinary health professionals that violations were largely due to poor recordkeeping, rarely resulting in license suspensions.
“When it comes to the level of immediate suspension, I don’t think it’s reached that level, in my opinion,” Bryan Langlois, former president of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, told TDN.
However, in his ruling, Chin suggested that the defense failed to make a proper rebuttal at the administrative hearing, writing that while the testimony from the veterinary investigator, James Howard, was awarded “significant merit”, the affidavit filed by the defendant weighed “small”.
“Although each person involved asserts that the allegations are unfounded and claims the allegations are based on a misunderstanding of track practice, they provide no factual basis for their conclusion. me,” Chin wrote.
