Regulating the practice of massage and bodywork therapy and its educational
institutions, for the protection of the public.
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD of
MASSAGE & BODYWORK
THERAPY
Message from the Board Chair, Holly Foster, LMBT
So, 2016 draws to a close. This has been another year of effort and
achievements for the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork
Therapy. The Board’s staff, as always, works tirelessly to improve the
processing of applications and respond to inquiries from applicants, licensees
and members of the general public. The appointed members of the board
could not do their jobs without the knowledge and experience of our staff.
Many thanks to you all.
I would like to extend a personal welcome to Dr. Tim Taft, medical member
of the board. Dr Taft assumes the position from Dr Ed Preston who
completed his second term in June.
As is part of the role of public safety, the Board investigates complaints
it receives. Many of these include complaints of inappropriate activity or
providing massage or bodywork therapy by unlicensed individuals. Some
of the cases seemed to be linked to human trafficking. The Board has sought
input from experts on methods it may use to help combat human trafficking
and preserve the public’s trust in the safety and efficacy of Massage and
Bodywork therapy in North Carolina.
The Board only has authority to regulate Licensed Massage and Bodywork
therapists. This year, the Board worked closely with investigators,
local police and sheriff’s offices and the Governor’s Human Trafficking
Commission to review the laws currently in place in North Carolina and
to advise them of what the Board regularly sees regarding illicit practices
under the guise of massage or massage and bodywork therapy.
Readers of this Newsletter may have seen news reports from Cumberland
County and Apex in 2016 about arrests for illicit activities under the guise
of massage. Both of these were the result of complaints filed by individuals
followed by investigations conducted by the Board. The raids were carried
out by local law enforcement with assistance from the Board’s investigator.
As 2017 appears on the horizon, the North Carolina Board of Massage and
Bodywork Therapy will continue to fulfill its mandate to protect the health
and safety of the citizens of this State. The Board will continue its public
awareness campaign and its work with local law enforcement and the Human
Trafficking Commission. The Board will also continue to work with the
Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards to develop tools to fight fraud
in testing and license applications.
And, we need your help. Your license is a privilege and a responsibility.
Please endeavor to protect your license. You must post your original license
on the wall where you practice. Make sure you remove your expired licenses
from the wall. If you leave a business, take your license with you. If you
know of someone who is misusing a license, report this to the Board. The
Board cannot take action if it is not made aware.
As Chair of the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy,
I would like to extend my appreciation to our licensees for your support
of the Board. Best wishes to you, my fellow Board members, and Board
staff in 2017.
NCBMBT’s Top 10 List of Reminders for all LMBT’s
1. Please keep the Board informed of any changes to your mailing
address and email address so you will be sure to receive all
pertinent information, such as renewal reminders, newsletters, etc.
2. For all up-to-date information, as well as Board
contact information and/or questions regarding licensure,
please refer to the NCBMBT website at www.bmbt.org.
3. The Board meets every other month on the 13th floor of the Wells
Fargo Capital Center located at 150 Fayetteville Street Raleigh, NC
27601. The current meeting schedule is posted on the website under
the ‘Board Meetings’ tab. All Board meetings are open to the public.
4. Please direct all requests, inquiries, and comments to
the Board office and not to individual Board members.
5. You may access the License Renewal tab on the Board’s website at
any time to print copies of your license. You can log in with your name
and password that you created when you originally renewed online.
6. All online renewals end on December 31 at midnight. Any
renewals submitted past this date will need to be mailed and
include a letter stating whether or not you have been practicing
massage and bodywork therapy in NC since your license expired.
7. To keep your license current, all LMBTs must complete
24 hours of continuing education, including a minimum of 3
hours of ethics, through an approved provider. You may take a
maximum of 12 hours of distance learning and a maximum of
8 hours of business management, should you choose to do so.
8. Any LMBT, who has completed all of the required CEU’s
during the year of their renewal, may apply any additional CEU’s
taken after August 1 of that year to their next renewal period,
as long as they were not submitted for the prior renewal period.
9. At anytime, you may verify that a LMBT’s license is valid in
NC by accessing the Board’s website and clicking on the License
Verification tab and searching by their last name or license number.
10. Licensees are required to notify the Board within 15
days if they know a person is practicing without a license, is
violating the Practice Act/Rules and Regulations, is charged
with certain criminal offenses, or is a defendent in a civil
lawsuit related to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy.
2016 NEWSLETTER
IN THIS ISSUE
Message from the Chair.............................................................1
NCBMBT’s Top 10 List of Reminders.......................................1
New Board Members and Officers.........................................2
Board Requests Your Email Address......................................2
Board Meeting Dates..................................................................2
Administrative Director’s Report............................................2
Human Trafficking........................................................................3
Disciplinary Actions...................................... ...................4, 5 & 6
Board Website is your Online Source for Information......7
2
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Licenses currently active.........8,382
Licenses issued
through 12/31/2016...............16,152
2017 BOARD MEETING DATES
February 16, 2017
April 20, 2017
June 15, 2017
August 17, 2017
October 19, 2017
December 14, 2017
Board meetings are held in the large conference room on the 13th floor of the Wells Fargo Capitol Center at 150 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, NC 27601. Meetings begin at 10:00 a.m. and are open to the public. There is a 15 minute period of Public Comment at the end of each meeting. Those in­terested in addressing the Board dur­ing Public Comment must sign up in person before or during the meeting.
NEW BOARD MEMBER
Governor Patrick F. McCrory appointed Dr. Timothy N. Taft of Orange County to the position previously held by Dr. Edwin Thornton Preston. His term began on June 15, 2016 and will end June 30, 2019.
Timothy Taft, MD:
Dr. Timothy N. Taft serves as the physician member of the Board. Dr. Taft is the Max M Novich Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sports Medicine and professor emeritus of Orthopaedic Sur­gery at UNC – Chapel Hill. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Missouri - Columbia medical school, he completed his residency in Orthopaedics at UNC – Chapel Hill where he has been on the faculty since 1973. In addition to being the team physician and Director of Sports Medicine for the Tar Heels, he has been the national team physician for USA Swimming and has served on the medical staff for USA teams at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, World University Games and the World Championships for men’s and women’s basketball. Dr. Taft is active in the Boy Scouts and currently serves as the national team physician for Special Olympics USA.
NEW BOARD OFFICERS
The Board, at its June 2016 meeting, elected the following officers:
Chair – Holly Foster
Vice Chair – Nancy Harrell
Treasurer – Dianne Layden
KEEP INFORMATION
UP TO DATE
To optimize communications be­tween the Board and licensees, please update your current email address at the Information Update tab on the Board’s website www.bmbt.org.3
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It is an illegal prac­tice in which traffickers will use force, fraud, or coercion to make victims engage in commercial sex acts or services of labor against his or her will. This practice has increasingly found its way to an intersection with massage therapy. According to the ABMP “In our world of complementary care, (hu­man trafficking) is often disguised as free-agent prostitution and marketed as massage. In fact, a website maintained for and by men who buy sex, lists more than 7,000 brothels posing as legitimate massage establishments na­tionwide.” Victims are often lured to the United States and told that a large debt is owed for their transportation and ongoing living expenses. Many do not speak English and may have their passports confiscated. They are kept living in isolation and frequently moved across the country from one fraud­ulent massage establishment to another which prevents them from reaching out for help.
“North Carolina is reported to be one of the top 10 states in the nation in human trafficking, owing to our location as an east-coast hub for transpor­tation, a state with many military installations and colleges, an economy dependent on agriculture and tourism and where immigrants come seeking work. In small towns and metropolitan areas traffickers prey on vulnerable people, exploiting, coercing and/or defrauding them into modern day slav­ery. The U.S. State Department estimates there are some 27 million men, women and children entrapped in this $150 billion a year worldwide crimi­nal enterprise, second only to drugs.” Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and Moderator, NC Spin, January 26, 2017
Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina have recently become more aware of certain massage establishments connections to human traffick­ing and conducted raids in Apex and Fayetteville in October and August of 2016, respectively. According to the Apex Police Department "com­mon persons of interest” in the raid “own more than 15 massage parlors in the Raleigh/Wake County area as well as in Johnston County, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Wilmington areas”.
The NCBMBT takes very seriously the effect of human tracking on the legal massage therapy business in North Carolina. One of our Board mem­bers, Dianne Layden is a member of The North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission as well as the FSMTB Human Trafficking Task Force. The Board is actively partnering with law enforcement to address establishments that are using massage therapy as a cover for illegal activities.
If you know of someone that you suspect is being trafficked, or believe it is happening in your community, what can you do? You can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 and you can contact your local law enforcement agency. Visit the Polaris Project at www.polarispro­ject.org for more information on human trafficking and how you can be­come involved to help put an end to this practice.HEARINGS BEFORE THE BOARD:
Cecilia Hatley – Following a hearing on April 21, 2016, for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license, the Board Ordered that Ms. Hatley be issued a conditional license, be placed on probation, obtain additional CEs and pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
QuiYing Liang - Following a hearing on April 21, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity at her place of business, the Board Ordered that Ms. Liang’s license be revoked and she pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Rashawn Bowman - Following a hearing on April 21, 2016, upon engaging in inappropriate sexual activity with a client during a massage and bodywork therapy session, the Board Ordered that Mr. Bowman’s license be revoked and he pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Lan Fen Zhou - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity at her place of business, the Board Ordered that Ms. Zhou’s license be revoked and she pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $750.
Hong Wei Zhang - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity, the Board Ordered that Mr. Zhang’s license be revoked and he pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $750.
Cai Fen Zhou - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity, the Board Ordered that Ms. Zhou’s license be reprimanded, she complete the jurisprudence exam and pay costs of $250.
Yongmei Lu - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity at her place of business, the Board Ordered that Ms. Lu’s license be revoked and she pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $750.
Xiaoyan He - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity, the Board Ordered that Ms. He’s license be reprimanded, she complete the jurisprudence exam and pay costs of $250.
Meng Xun Wang - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity at his place of business, the Board Ordered that Mr. Wang’s license be revoked and he pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $750.
Suxia Tao - Following a hearing on October 20, 2016, upon aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity at her place of business, the Board Ordered that Ms. Tao’s license be revoked and she pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $750.
CONSENT ORDERS:
Carrie Bobis – Prior to a hearing scheduled for February 18, 2016, Ms. Bobis entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Guy Wachob – Prior to a hearing scheduled for February 18, 2016, Mr. Wachob entered into a Consent Order for engaging in inappropriate sexual activity and providing improper draping to a client during a massage and bodywork therapy session wherein his license was revoked and he agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $150.
Joshua Branam – Prior to a hearing scheduled for April 21, 2016, Mr. Branam entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein he agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $200.
Shaniqua Thorpe – Prior to a hearing scheduled for April 21, 2016, Ms. Thorpe entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $200.
Bryana Walker – Prior to a hearing scheduled for April 21, 2016, Ms. Walker entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $200.
Austin Avent – Prior to a hearing scheduled for October 20, 2016, Mr. Avent entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein he agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Chrissy Bruce – Prior to a hearing scheduled for October 20, 2016, Ms. Bruce entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE BOARD
FROM JANUARY 1, 2016 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2016
4
The Board is authorized to investigate complaints and institute disciplinary actions,
as set forth in Section .0900 of the Rules.5
Pavel Cobzaru – Prior to a hearing scheduled for October 20, 2016, Mr. Cobzaru entered into a Consent Order for engaging in inappropriate sexual activity with clients during massage and bodywork therapy sessions wherein his license was revoked and he agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Stefanie Hall – Prior to a hearing scheduled for October 20, 2016, Ms. Hall entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Susan Jebo – Prior to a hearing scheduled for October 20, 2016, Ms. Jebo entered into a Consent Order for practicing massage and bodywork therapy without a current license wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Russell Stamey - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Mr. Stamey entered into a Consent Order for engaging in inappropriate activity with a client during a massage and bodywork therapy session wherein he agreed to be placed on probation and pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $250.
Stacy Striks - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Ms. Striks entered into a Consent Order for failing to correctly and properly sign and complete intake forms and SOAP notes on clients wherein she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $250 and costs of $200.
Brandy Wolfe - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Ms. Wolfe entered into a Consent Order for failing to report to the Board that she was charged and arrested in 2015 for various drug offenses wherein she agreed to be placed on probation and pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of $250.
Latoria Chamblee - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Ms. Chamblee entered into an Order for Conditional License for aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity, for failing to inform client’s of the scope of her massage and for failing to obtain written, informed consent for the massage wherein her license was reprimanded and she agreed to complete the jurisprudence exam and pay costs of $250.
Xiaodi Fehler - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Ms. Fehler entered into an Order for Conditional License for aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity wherein her license was reprimanded and she agreed to complete the jurisprudence exam and pay costs of $250.
Fulong Ma - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Mr. Ma entered into a Consent Order for aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork therapy activity wherein his license was reprimanded and he agreed to pay costs of $250.
Lixia Zhang - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Ms. Zhang entered into a Consent Order for aiding and abetting illegal massage and bodywork thearpy at her place of business wherein her license was revoked and she agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Kyle Wright - Prior to a hearing scheduled for December 15, 2016, Mr. Wright entered into a Consent Order for engaging in inappropriate activity with a LMBT and student wherein he agreed to be placed on probation, not be a program director, staff or instructor at any Board approved school, not teach CE in NC and pay a civil penalty of $1000 and costs of $500.
Official Newsletter
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD of
MASSAGE & BODYWORK
THERAPY
POST OFFICE BOX 2539
RALEIGH, NC 27602
Phone: 919-546-0050
Fax: 919-833-1059
email: admin@bmbt.org
web: www.bmbt.org
Offices are located in the
Wells Fargo Capitol Center
150 Fayetteville Street
Suite 1910
Raleigh, NC 27601
Members of the Board
Holly Foster, LMBT
Chair
Nancy Harrell, LMBT
Vice Chair
Dianne Layden
Treasurer
Renee’ Hayes, LMBT
Melissa Smith, LMBT
Kim Turk, LMBT
Dr. Timothy Taft
Board Staff
Charles P. Wilkins
Legal Counsel
Benjamin E. Thompson, III
Legal Counsel
Elizabeth Kirk
Administrative Director
Julia Lancaster
Assistant Administrative Director
Elizabeth Kirk
Newsletter Editor6
LETTERS OF REPRIMAND:
There were six hundred and ninety-five (695) Letters of Reprimand issued to therapists for late renewal, six (6) Letters of Reprimand issued to therapists for Non-Sufficient Funds (bounced checks) and two (2) Letters of Rep­rimand issued to therapists for inappropri­ate activity during a massage and bodywork therapy session.
NOTICE OF POTENTIAL VIOLATION:
There were seven (7) Notices served on per­sons for allegedly practicing without a license and nine (9) Notices served on businesses upon information they were allowing a person to practice massage and bodywork therapy without a North Carolina license.
INDIVIDUALS:
Justin Farrell......................................Asheville
Shekish Cole.............................Winston Salem
Kimmen Brown...............................High Point
Rafael Suarez Florez..........................Pineville
Aimee Keenan...........................Fuquay Varina
Rebekah Saylor.............................Jacksonville
Michael Stanley Cole........................Asheville
BUSINESSES:
Justin Time Massage.........................Asheville
House of Effleurage..................Winston Salem
Umm Massage.................................High Point
Consentida Beauty Spa......................Charlotte
Cameo Salon & Spa..................Fuquay Varina
Sole Haven........................................Asheville
The Amber Dragonfly...................Jacksonville
Tankini Salon & Day Sp...........Elizabeth City
Massage by Michael..........................Asheville
DENIAL OF LICENSE:
The Board denied licenses to eleven (11) applicants. One (1) applicant was denied a license due to criminal charges pending or being on probation: JoJo Carroll. Four (4) applicants were denied a license due to lack of moral character: Raven Dantzler, Tori Gunn, Jennifer King and Kelley Weaver. Four (4) applicants were denied a license because the curriculum of the massage school they attend­ed did not meet the Board’s minimum require­ments: Lisa He, Lam Nguyen, Gina Selman, and Carol Slamowitz. One (1) applicant was denied a license due to conduct that could po­tentially result in harm or injury to the public: Jinxiang Dou. One (1) applicant was denied a license since they did not appear before the License Standards Committee for their inter­view: Hun Lee.
CONDITIONAL LICENSES:
The License Standards Committee of the Board issued twenty-nine (29) Conditional Li­censes to persons whose applications showed evidence of past minor criminal behavior, possibility of practicing without a license, education deficiency or other minor improper conduct.7
The website provides an easily accessible source for information on the licensing program and activities of the Board. There are individual pages which give you information about:
• Applying for Initial Licensure
• License Renewals
• Licensure by Endorsement
• Online License Verification
• Update your Personal Profile
• How to Contact the Board
• Board Members and Professional Staff
• Board Meeting Schedule
• Board Approved Schools
• How to File a Complaint
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Links to Other Agencies and Organizations
A feature, called the DOCUMENT CENTER, is a popular page on the site. From this location, you can view and/or download many of the important documents which are part of the licensing program. These include:
Practice Act and Rules
Modalities Requiring Licensure in North Carolina
License Information and Application
License Renewal
Massage Therapy Schools
Duplicate License Request
Name Change Form
Formal Complaint Form
www.bmbt.org
The Board Website is your Online Source for Information