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State board suspends Ellsworth physician's license for allegedly spreading COVID misinformation

Meryl Nass must undergo a psychological examination as part of an investigation into her conduct.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Editor's note: The video above aired Dec. 1, 2021.

A state board suspended the medical license of a longtime Ellsworth physician on Tuesday amid accusations that she spread misinformation about COVID.

Meryl Nass, who has practiced internal medicine in Ellsworth since 1997, also admitted in a virtual meeting with Maine state legislators that she lied to a pharmacist to obtain the drug hydroxychloroquine for a patient with COVID, according to a suspension letter issued by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine.

The board voted Tuesday to temporarily suspend Nass' medical license for 30 days pending further investigation, a hearing, and a psychological evaluation.

Nass is the second doctor in the state to be investigated for allegedly spreading misinformation about COVID.

Complaints filed late last year alleged Nass, affiliated with the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, spread misinformation about the virus and calls by public health officials for vaccinations. Nass, who has practiced internal medicine in Ellsworth since 1997, allegedly made claims in a video interview on her website and Twitter that the board deemed a danger to the public.

According to an order issued by the board, Nass said she would not comply with mask or vaccine mandates, alleged the federal government was hiding information about less severe COVID cases and claimed the government was vaccinating children without parental consent.

The order stated Nass claimed the vaccine effort was "nefarious," connected it to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and suggested that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is "a criminal agency."

According to the order, Nass admitted during a virtual meeting with members of the state Legislature that she lied to a pharmacist to get hydroxychloroquine for a COVID patient.

The board ordered Nass to undergo a neuropsychological evaluation on Feb. 1.

She is the second Maine doctor to be suspended following reports that they spread misinformation about COVID.

In December, the state Board of Osteopathic Licensure "emergently suspended" the license of Dr. Paul Gosselin, who practices in Waterville, because he had signed COVID "exemption letters" and been the subject of complaints from providers that he was spreading misinformation about COVID.

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