California nurse loses licence after treating and dating actor Stevie Ryan before 2017 suicide
A nurse practitioner who transitioned from treating actress Stevie Ryan to having an intimate relationship with the YouTube star - just months before her 2017 suicide - has had his licenses revoked by California’s Board of Registered Nursing.
Gerald “Jay” Baltz, a psychiatric NP - meaning he underwent additional training to fulfill more doctor-like duties such as prescribing medication - first began treating Ryan in 2015. Within two years, he’d not only begun a sexual relationship with the actress, who hosted a podcast about mental health, but she had also taken her own life.
Ryan, who shot to fame with her VHI sketch comedy show Stevie TV and co-hosted a reality programme with Brody Jenner, was just 33 years old.
“The case had been initiated by the head of the nursing board, an agency within the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs,” the LA Times reported. “Baltz is challenging the decision in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“The formal accusation, brought against Baltz in 2020, sought the suspension or revocation of his nursing licenses for alleged misconduct subject to discipline under the California Business and Professions Code. The legal filing accused him of gross negligence, incompetence, unprofessional conduct and sexual misconduct.”
The accusation claimed that Mr Baltz had a boundary-crossing relationship with Ms Ryan while she was his patient before beginning physical relations with her while she was receiving treatment at his place of work, the Times reported. The NP also allegedly prescribed “about 10 drugs used to treat a variety of conditions — including depression and bipolar disorder — without providing ‘a clear rationale for prescribed medications.’
It also alleged that Mr Baltz had failed to seek supervision for her when she was suicidal, according to the newspaper.
Ryan had been extremely open about her battles with mental health, even hosting a podcast titled Mentally Ch(ill) and exploring her depression.
In the days before her July 2017 suicide, however, she had seemed troubled on social media and devastated over the illness and eventual death of her grandfather.
“The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams. I’ll miss you everyday, forever. I love you my Pa,” she tweeted on June 30, after posting pictures of him and lamenting his deteriorating condition earlier in the month.
Ryan took her own life the next day.
According to nursing board proceedings, the actress and comedian was the one who asked out Mr Baltz in April 2017, reported the Times - which has conducted an extensive investigation into Ms Ryan’s life and death.
“That day, Baltz terminated his nurse-patient relationship with Ryan and transferred her care to another mental health provider at Insight Choices, the facility where he worked, the filing said. Mr Baltz and Ryan dated briefly,” the newspaper reported. “They ended things in late April via a text message chat, during which Baltz said he hoped she would “never say anything” about their romantic relationship, according to the decision.”
Mr Baltz had been practicing since December 2009, according to his profile on the website for MelrosePsych, a Los Angeles wellness center where he is still listed as an employee. The accompanying picture shows a good-looking, dark-haired man with a salt-and-pepper beard gazing intensely into the camera.
“Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Dr Baltz has lived in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles,” the website reads. “Dr. Baltz has been offering excellent care for over 12 years. He specialises in treating ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
“When not working, Dr Baltz enjoys writing, traveling, and hiking.
“He earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice from Saint Louis University, completing his clinical practicum hours in a wide variety of settings, including Barnes-Jewish hospital, Rosati Group Home, and various private practices.”
According to the nursing board’s proposed decision, Baltz’s “breach of professional boundaries with a former patient with known mental health infirmities evinces a serious lapse in judgment,” the Times reported.
“At the hearing, Baltz explained that he felt ‘terrible’ over his romantic relationship with Ryan, and blamed engaging in it on his alcohol abuse, according to the decision. (He said he has been sober since May 2017.) Baltz defended the rationale of his prescribing activity but also acknowledged that he had lied to a nursing board investigator during a 2019 interview in which he was asked about his relationship with Ryan, saying that he did so because he ‘felt guilty and afraid,’ it said.”
The nursing board made the decision in January - revoking the NP’s four licenses - but he filed a petition for reconsideration the following month which was denied on 24 February, the newspaper reported.
He can apply to reinstate those licenses in three years in California.
In an interview with the Times, one of Mr Baltz’s lawyers called him “a highly regarded nurse practitioner with a large patient following who all say nothing but wonderful things about the man.”
Ryan’s father seemed unimpressed by the decision. Her family had already taken a wrongful death lawsuit against Mr Baltz in 2018 which was settled for $200,000.
“I guess that’s good news,” he told the newspaper this week of the nursing board’s decision to strip Mr Baltz of his licenses. “It’s hard to feel good about something that is that life altering for both parties.”
