(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Former UnityPoint medical staff president sanctioned by licensing board • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]
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Date: 2025-07-25
The former president of the medical staff at a Sioux City hospital has been sanctioned by the Iowa Board of Medicine for sexual harassment.
According to board records, Dr. Rick Colwell, 66, was employed by UnityPoint Health’s St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Sioux City prior to being placed on administrative leave in 2022.
The board says Colwell’s personnel file indicates that sometime prior to 2015, he had been warned for the use of profanity and “abusive or demeaning behavior toward nurses,” and for verbal aggression and confrontational behavior. The board alleges that Colwell then hired an entity called Out of the Woods Inc. “to address these concerns.”
About 18 months later, the board says, Colwell was elected president of the medical staff at the Sioux City hospital, where he also served on the hospital’s board of directors.
In his role as medical staff president, one of Colwell’s “core duties” was to resolve issues involving inappropriate or unacceptable behavior by the medical staff, the board alleges.
At some unspecified point, the board alleges, UnityPoint Health fielded a complaint that Colwell had made sexually suggestive comments that made the complainant uncomfortable. An internal investigation allegedly concluded Colwell had violated UnityPoint Health’s sexual harassment policy by creating a hostile work environment.
According to the board, the hospital placed Colwell on administrative leave on Feb. 11, 2022. Three weeks later, on March 2, 2022, the board alleges, Colwell resigned prior to the conclusion of an internal investigation.
Board records indicate Colwell now works in emergency medicine as an as an independent contractor for Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars.
Earlier this month, as a result of the 2022 allegations, the Iowa Board of Medicine charged Colwell with sexual harassment. Colwell denied the allegations but agreed to a settlement that places his license on probation for one year subject to certain conditions.
As part of the settlement, Colwell will be required to complete a program for “distressed physicians” and submit to worksite monitoring by an individual who will meet periodically with Colwell and review his patient charts if needed. During his probation, Colwell is to continue seeing a mental health therapist who will supply the board with reports on a regular basis, according to the settlement.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Colwell for comment on Friday.
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