State Suspends Westport Surgical Center’s License

A Westport plastic surgeon who is on probation and was fined $29,000 in 2011 has had his center’s license temporarily suspended after state inspectors found several new violations, including rusty equipment and instruments and a fire alarm system that had not worked for five months. Under a June 20 consent order with the state Department of Public Health, Dr. Joel B. Singer agreed to the suspension of the license of his Center for Ambulatory Surgery in Westport through July 29. The order states that the violations “may pose a health risk to the public.”

During surprise inspections between March 21 to 28, inspectors found a rusty autoclave used to sterilize instruments, rusty instruments, an unlocked refrigerator containing medications and worn-out brushes being used to clean instruments, records show. Donna M. Ortelle of DPH’s Facility Licensing and Investigations Section, outlined the violations in a June 4 letter to Singer. Diana Lejardi, a DPH spokeswoman, said that the center will be able to provide more information if it wants to dispute the findings.