Latest news with #SturmCosmeticSurgery
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fired employee's suit accuses Ames clinic of 'unethical' procedures, using expired medication
A registered nurse who tried to sound the alarm about "illegal" and "unethical" practices and a "toxic work environment" at an Ames surgery center said she was instead fired. Story County resident Tonya Becker filed a retaliatory discharge, age discrimination, and sexual harassment lawsuit on Wednesday, March 12, against the now-closed Sturm Cosmetic Surgery Center and its head surgeon, Linsday Sturm. Becker was a registered nurse at the center for two years until she said she was wrongfully fired in retaliation in 2024. She's the third party to bring a lawsuit against the surgery center since late 2023. More: The U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Lab on the Iowa State campus has a new director Sturm Cosmetic Surgery abruptly closed in February. A notice taped to its front door said the facility was no longer accepting appointments, and all upcoming surgical appointments had been canceled. Its website ( is no longer active and has been scrubbed clean. Two unrelated malpractice lawsuits have been filed against lead surgeon Lindsay Sturm, one for wrongful death and another seeking damages after a "negligent procedure." Becker's lawsuit said she believes she was fired in May 2024 as a "result of her refusing to compromise patient safety, rejecting illegal and unethical directives, and standing up against a toxic work environment." Becker also said Sturm created a "workplace culture where employees felt unable to express safety concerns without fear of retaliation." The Ames Tribune published a story last week sharing anecdotes about an alleged 'botched' surgery and other patient complications, two of several complaints that spawned a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members and hundreds of posts. Dr. Lindsay Sturm is a licensed physician specializing in full-body cosmetic surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery, according to the Iowa State Board of Medicine's website. Her license is still active as of Thursday, March 13. Sturm, who was born in 1984, graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, A.T. Still University in 2012 and was certified by the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery. More: 'Botched' surgery, infections and fallout from an Ames surgery center's abrupt closure Becker said she was hired by Sturm Cosmetic Surgery on Nov. 20, 2022, as a PRN Registered Nurse, according to court documents. Her responsibilities included assisting Sturm with cosmetic surgeries and overseeing patients' post-anesthesia care. Becker's lawsuit notes that she became a full-time employee on July 3, 2023, during which she took the responsibility of managing the clinic's quality control and provided inventory oversight. She was fired on May 13, 2024, less than a year later. Becker said Sturm told her that Sturm Cosmetic Surgery was "a small company" that 'strives for positivity' and claimed that Becker 'took things too personally and did not fit the clinic's vibe.' Becker believes she was fired because she disputed several instances of what she called "unethical and inappropriate practices that jeopardized patient safety." Becker said she observed surgical closures that were "not being performed in accordance with proper medical protocols," according to the lawsuit. She said scrub technicians were allegedly allowed to assist in closing patient incisions alongside Sturm in an effort to save time even though they allegedly weren't licensed. Becker said she was worried about the risk to patient safety and also believed the practice may have been a violation of medical standards. The lawsuit also claims that Sturm would "misrepresent" procedures, allegedly telling two different patients that she had finished the operation when she had only completed half of the work. More: This Ames surgery center closed recently, canceled all appointments and scrubbed its website Becker said the clinic also had a policy that prohibited employees from discarding expired medication, allegedly considering it "wasteful" because the clinic "would incur additional costs." The lawsuit also accuses Sturm Surgery employees of not following medication protocols. Becker said employees were administering medications "in a manner that deviated from proper protocols" and that an employee had followed Sturm's instructions "without verifying the correct method of administration or ensuring the application complied with the standard of care." Becker said she learned in July 2023 that patient logs were incomplete or were never scanned into the system. She said she took the logs home and spent hours sorting through them, even discovering forms that were missing patient signatures. Becker said she never received compensation for the work. The lawsuit notes that the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services visited for an inspection, and despite noting several deficiencies, they were allegedly "brushed off." She was also told the surgery center was 'too busy' to maintain the patient logs. More: Ames police arrest, charge man for attempted murder, robbery in February In her lawsuit, Becker claims that some employees at Sturm Cosmetic Surgery would make sexually charged jokes and references that she found "offensive and isloating." Becker described an encounter in June 2023 when Sturm allegedly instructed an employee to buy a sex toy using a Sturm Cosmetic Surgery "McKesson" account, a company that sells medical supplies. The sex toy was allegedly stored in an office drawer. Becker said staff members would occasionally remove the toy "making lewd jokes with it, including while patients were under anesthesia receiving procedures." She noted on more than one occasion that an employee allegedly exposed their genitalia as a joke and employees regularly discussed their sex lives. Becker has requested her lawsuit be settled by jury trial. Sandra and Gary Quade are suing Sturm by claiming that injuries the physician allegedly caused during surgery and the ensuing "negligent" post-op care led to the death of their daughter. A jury trial has been set for Feb. 10, 2026, according to court documents. In a separate case, a United Arab Emirates resident who traveled to Ames for surgery at Sturm's practice filed a lawsuit in October 2023 for damages following a procedure. The lawsuit from Joseph Kaissi claims that Sturm was negligent "by performing a risky and unnecessary abdominoplasty when a less invasive and appropriate procedure was available," and that he has "serious and permanent" injuries because of Sturm's and Sturm Cosmetic Surgery's "negligent" care. A jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 9, and a deposition has been scheduled for April 4. Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@ This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ex-Sturm Surgery RN files wrongful termination, sexual harassment suit
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Ames surgery center closed recently, canceled all appointments and scrubbed its website
A local cosmetic surgery center on the northeast side of Ames has abruptly closed for unknown reasons. Sturm Cosmetic Surgery, located at 1405 Baltimore Drive, is no longer accepting appointments, according to a notice that is pinned to the facility's front door. All upcoming surgical appointments have been canceled. It is unclear when the business officially closed. Its website ( is no longer active and has been scrubbed clean. "This decision was not made lightly, and we want to express our gratitude for the trust and support of our patients," the notice, signed by Sturm and the Sturm Cosmetics Surgery Team, said. The center was operated by Dr. Lindsay Sturm, a licensed physician specializing in full-body cosmetic surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery, according to the Iowa State Board of Medicine's website. Her license is still active as of Wednesday. Sturm graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, A.T. Still University in 2012 and has been certified by the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery. Sturm was born in 1984, according to the Iowa State Board of Medicine. The Ames Tribune has been unable to verify how many employees worked at Sturm Cosmetic Surgery. The Tribune also reached out to the Iowa Workforce Development to inquire about possible layoffs but did not get a response. Twin Shores, according to the contractor's website, handled the construction of Sturm Cosmetic Surgery's new 6,300-square-foot facility in January 2023. "The office includes a beautiful lobby with modern decor, exam rooms and an independent surgery center," according to a Twin Shores testimonial. More: Ukrainian refugees in Ames fear losing humanitarian parole. How a volunteer group is helping The doors to Sturm Cosmetic Surgery were locked on Monday and no cars were seen in the parking lot. The message taped to the door mirrors an automated voice message that is heard after dialing the company's phone number. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by these cancellations," the signed notice said. "Please rest assured that we are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. According to the company voicemail, current patients will be contacted with additional information. Patients in need of ongoing medical care have been told to contact another physician "to continue with appropriate medical care." Though there are no criminal charges against Sturm, she is entangled in a pair of malpractice lawsuits that have been filed in Story County accusing her of negligence, one of which allegedly led to death. A lawsuit filed on May 20, 2024, accuses the doctor of causing injuries to a patient during surgery, which allegedly led to a massive hemorrhage and her death. A response filed on July 10, 2024, denied the allegations. The Ames Tribune reached out to Sturm's lawyers on Tuesday but did not receive a response. More: New rock climbing facility in Ames is 'good for the body and brain' Sandra and Gary Quade, parents of a former patient, are suing Sturm by claiming that injuries the physician allegedly caused during surgery and the ensuing alleged "negligent" post-op care led to death. Sturm performed core liposuction and an abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, on Angela Kettwig, 50, of Colo, on March 29, 2023, according to court documents. The operation and liposuction went without complication, according to the medical records, and Kettwig was discharged later that day. At about 2 a.m. the following day, Kettwig's daughter allegedly called Strum to share that her mother was lightheaded when standing and "did not feel good." Sturm allegedly said the reaction was "normal" for an abdominoplasty and recommended she be given something to eat or drink to help with her blood sugar. At 6:30 a.m. the same day, Kettwig suffered a cardiac arrest. She was transferred to Story County Medical Center and then to Unity Point Iowa Methodist Center, where she subsequently died of acute blood loss. Dr. Nelson Goldberg, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Maryland Medical School, reviewed Kettwig's medical records, according to court documents filed on Jan. 3, and noted that Kettwig's signs and symptoms were indicative of hypotension and serious bleeding. He said it was a "preventable death" and, "to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, would have been prevented if Dr. Sturm had reasonably acted upon the first report of blood loss and dizziness." The Quades, on behalf of Kettwig's children, are seeking damages "for their loss of past and future consortium in a fair and reasonable amount." A jury trial has been set for Feb. 10, 2026, according to court documents. More: Authorities find more dogs on convicted puppy mill operator's Boone Co. property, revoke probation A United Arab Emirates resident who traveled to Ames for surgery at Sturm's practice filed a lawsuit in October 2023 for damages following a procedure. The lawsuit from Joseph Kaissi claims that Sturm was negligent "by performing a risky and unnecessary abdominoplasty when a less invasive and appropriate procedure was available." Kaissi claimed that Sturm did not use the "appropriate degree of acceptable surgical technique and medical expertise in performing the abdominoplasty. Kaissi said he's suffered "serious and permanent" injuries because Sturm's and Sturm Cosmetic Surgery's "negligent" care. No filings have been made in the case since October 2024. A jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 9. Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@ This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Sturm Cosmetic Surgery in Ames abruptly shuts down for unknown reasons
