Iowa Therapist Who Swapped Elderly Patient's Pain Pills Faces License Suspension
An Iowa-licensed occupational therapist who admitted stealing narcotic medications from elderly assisted living residents, including swapping a dying cancer patient's pain pills with zinc tablets, will keep his professional license despite the admissions. The Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy chose a three-year suspension over permanent revocation for Eric Newsom of Cedar Rapids, a decision that raises serious questions about how the state protects its most vulnerable citizens.
What Did Eric Newsom Admit To?
Federal court records show that in October 2025, prosecutors charged Newsom with tampering with a consumer product and acquiring a controlled substance through fraud. As part of a plea deal, Newsom pleaded guilty last month to the tampering charge. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing.
According to prosecutors, Newsom owned and operated Element Therapy Solutions, a company that employed up to 13 people and provided therapy services to eight care facilities in eastern Iowa, including Keystones of Cedar Rapids and Legacy Manor of Cedar Rapids.
The board's findings paint a disturbing picture of betrayal targeting seniors who trusted him with their care.
How Did the Zinc Tablet Swap Affect a Dying Patient?
One 74-year-old patient at an assisted living facility suffered from cancer and multiple-organ failure. Prosecutors said Newsom picked up the woman's hydrocodone prescription from a local pharmacy, then swapped the pain pills with zinc tablets. He even added score marks across the zinc tablets to make them look like the real medication.
As a result, the patient did not receive her prescribed pain medication in the days immediately before her death in March 2025. A vulnerable senior spent her final days without relief from agonizing pain because the therapist entrusted with her care stole her medication to feed his own addiction.
How Did Newsom Steal Medications From Other Residents?
Court and board records reveal a pattern of predatory behavior. Newsom admitted burglarizing the apartment of another assisted living resident while searching for narcotics. He also targeted two sisters who lived in separate apartments at a Cedar Rapids care facility.
On at least three occasions, Newsom took the sisters to a gym for therapy sessions, then falsely claimed he had left his phone in their apartments so he could return and steal their narcotic medications. He also admitted there had been