CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A nurse who worked for 16 years as an anesthetist in Hampton Roads was ordered by state regulators to surrender his license, according to a report from the Virginia Board of Nursing.
Kevin Coolong of Chesapeake was a certified registered nurse anesthetist with Atlantic Anesthesia from June 2008 until August 2024, when he resigned.
The board investigated complaints from four patients, identified only as Patients A, B, C and D, who alleged Coolong kissed them, stroked them and fondled them while they were sedated.
The Board of Nursing concluded that Coolong engaged in and admitted to non-consensual sexual conduct with the female patients.
The report specifies the location for two of the four: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in February 2024 and Sentara Leigh Hospital in August 2018.
Coolong’s alleged behavior included placing his thumb in a patient’s mouth, kissing their lips, stroking their bodies and fondling their breasts.
Two were maternity patients and the other two were in for orthopedic surgery.
“They asked for it by the way they looked and talked,” Coolong told investigators, according to the report, and described the patients as “clingy” and “needy,” and was under the impression they liked him.
In one incident, Coolong allegedly told investigators “I can’t lie to you. I kissed [Patient D] on the lips [while her eyes were closed].”
In another, as a means of taking a patient’s body temperature, he reached into a patient’s gown and cupped her breast.
The Board made Coolong surrender his nursing license for life. In a consent order, he neither confirms nor denies the Board’s findings and conclusions.
Sentara Healthcare spokesman Mike Kafka sent WAVY this statement Monday afternoon:
“The safety and quality of care for our patients is our highest priority. We became aware this morning of the Virginia Board of Nursing consent order against a former Atlantic Anesthesia employee and are pleased that significant action is being taken against him. We intend to fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter.”
10 On Your Side reached Coolong by phone and he said he did not want to discuss his case, and referred us to the consent order.
Atlantic Anesthesia had no comment when contacted by WAVY.