Key Takeaways
- Dr. Joseph Bethuy’s Ohio medical license was permanently revoked in 2026 following allegations involving three juvenile patients.
- The allegations stem from Bethuy’s work at Belmont Pines Hospital, a behavioral health facility serving children and adolescents in Youngstown, Ohio.
- Belmont Pines Hospital and its leadership may face scrutiny regarding potential civil liability and alleged reporting failures involving complaints against Bethuy.
Dr. Joseph Alphonse Bethuy, a longtime pediatrician who worked at Belmont Pines Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, had his medical license permanently revoked following allegations that he sexually abused juvenile patients during medical examinations at a residential behavioral health services facility.
Although the Ohio Medical Board records involving Bethuy did not initially identify the facility by name, separate disciplinary records involving Belmont Pines medical director Dr. Phillip Maiden later identified Belmont Pines Hospital as the facility where Bethuy practiced.
Ohio State Medical Board Allegations Against Dr. Joseph Bethuy
Allegations of Abuse
According to the Ohio State Medical Board’s records, Bethuy worked as a consulting primary care physician at a residential behavioral health facility treating children and adolescents between approximately January, 2009 and November, 2021.
The Board outlined allegations of abuse involving three separate juvenile patients.
One allegation states that during a routine intake physical in 2012, Bethuy allegedly fondled a juvenile patient’s breasts and inserted his finger into her vagina “for a purpose other than appropriate health care services.”
Another allegation states that during a routine intake physical in 2021, in the presence of a chaperone. Bethuy rubbed and cupped the breasts and vaginal area of a juvenile patient over her clothes. According to Board records, the patient immediately reported the incident to the facility and her mother later filed a police report.
A third allegation from 2021 involved a juvenile male patient who was being treated for a routine intake physical. According to medical board records, “during the examination, with a chaperone present,” Bethuy put his hands on the patient’s thighs and rubbed his penis against the patient’s knees.
The Board records further state: “The patient mouthed ‘help me’ to the chaperone during the incident. A mandatory reporter from the facility reported the incident to law enforcement in or around August of 2021.”
Allegations of Failing to Comply
The Board further alleged that Bethuy repeatedly failed to comply with their multiple attempts to conduct investigative interviews. According to the records, investigators attempted several times to schedule interviews with Bethuy in 2024, but he allegedly failed to respond. After later being subpoenaed for an investigative interview, his attorney sent a letter to the Board saying he “would not be appearing pursuant to subpoena and that [he was] asserting your constitutional right against self-incrimination.”
Bethuy’s Ohio medical license expired in 2023 due to non-renewal. On March 11, 2026, he permanently surrendered his license in lieu of formal disciplinary proceedings, resulting in the permanent revocation of his license to practice medicine and surgery in Ohio.
Closed Criminal Cases
According to WFMJ, “Two different cases were reported to Liberty Township police in 2021.”
In one of the cases, a juvenile patient reportedly told investigators:
“‘The doctor I seen today is a weirdo and I never want to see him again. I hop[e] no kids has to see him ever again… He was too close to my private area and I didn’t like it. He’s a weirdo. Please take his license away forever.’” (WFMJ)
WFMJ reported that both of these cases “were closed and sent to the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office. When asked why they did not move the case forward, assistant prosecutor Gabe Wildman said in both cases, there were conflicting statements that would have made it unlikely to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. He pointed to nurses being in the room in both cases, who say nothing inappropriate happened. Wildman also said that the alleged acts were done over clothing, which could be looked at as persistent with his duties as a pediatrician.”
It does not appear that Bethuy was ever criminally charged in connection with the allegations involving juvenile patients. However, administrative proceedings before the Ohio State Medical Board operate under a lower burden of proof than criminal prosecutions, and the Board was able to pursue disciplinary action against him. His license was ultimately revoked approximately five years after the allegations were first reported to Liberty Township police.
Questions About Oversight at Belmont Pines
The allegations against Dr. Joseph Bethuy has intensified scrutiny of both Belmont Pines Hospital and its longtime medical director, Dr. Phillip G. Maiden.
According to records from the Ohio State Medical Board, Dr. Phillip Maiden served as the Medical Director for Belmont Pines Hospital since approximately 2000 and supervised Bethuy during the years he worked at the facility as a pediatrician.
The Ohio State Medical Board has initiated proceedings against Maiden for allegedly failing to report Bethuy’s misconduct. The Board wrote in a Notice of Opportunity for Hearing, dated April 8, 2026,
“From at least on or about October 4, 2019 to at least on or about September 5, 2021, it was reported to Belmont Pines Hospital on Belmont Pines Hospital’s own grievance forms by multiple child victims under Dr. Bethuy’s care, that, during physical examinations, Dr. Bethuy sexually abused them. You failed to report these instances to the Board.”
His license may be limited, or potentially revoked.
Public scrutiny surrounding Belmont Pines previously arose in 2025 after the facility’s CEO left the organization amid investigations involving alleged sexual abuse at the facility. It is unclear if this caused the CEO’s departure from Belmont Pines.
“According to a June 13th police report, two victims were allegedly sexually assaulted [at Belmont Pines] and taken to Akron Children’s for an evaluation.” (WFMJ)
Belmont Pines has also faced criticism online from former patients and family members. At the time of publication, the facility held approximately 2.8 stars on Google, with dozens of reviews referencing concerns about safety and patient treatment. One Yelp review also referenced allegations of sexual assault involving an adult staff member at the facility.
Joseph Bethuy practiced for over a decade after he first allegedly sexually abused a patient. , © Google, Google Maps.
Dr. Joseph Bethuy’s Medical Background and Career
Dr. Joseph Alphonse Bethuy practiced medicine for decades throughout Ohio and Michigan, primarily in pediatrics and family medicine.
Bethuy originally received his Ohio medical license on October 2, 1984. Public records also indicate that he previously held a Michigan medical license through 2003.
Throughout his career, Bethuy worked for or was otherwise associated with several hospitals and healthcare facilities, including:
- Mercy Health–St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio
- Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren, Ohio
- Akron Children’s Hospital Beeghly Campus in Boardman, Ohio
- Bronson LakeView Family Care, Bangor in Bangor, Michigan,
- Shoreline Family Care attached to South Haven Community Hospital in South Haven, Michigan
Bethuy also reportedly practiced at an office located at 3622 Belmont Ave., Suite 13, in Youngstown, Ohio, which is currently marked as “Permanently Closed” on Google.
Potential Civil Liability for Belmont Pines Hospital
The allegations involving Dr. Joseph Bethuy may expose Belmont Pines Hospital and its leadership to potential civil liability.
Facilities responsible for treating vulnerable children and adolescents are required to maintain safeguards and follow mandatory reporting procedures designed to protect patients from harm.
When institutions receive multiple complaints regarding a physician yet fail to appropriately investigate or remove that physician in order to protect patients, they may face potential civil liability for the harm that followed.
Were You Harmed by Dr. Joseph Bethuy?
Andreozzi + Foote represents survivors of sexual abuse in Ohio and nationwide. We have extensive experience with cases involving physicians, medical offices, and healthcare institutions.
We are trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and committed to helping individuals understand their rights and choose the path that feels the most empowering to them.
If you or your child were harmed by Dr. Joseph Bethuy, help is available.
Your voice deserves to be heard, and our attorneys are ready to listen.
All consultations are free and completely confidential.
Contact us today.
Image sources: Bethuy featured in a 1998 article from The Herald-Palladium, via Newspapers.com. Belmont Pines Hospital, © Google, Google Maps.
