State licensing hearing for Bonita Springs stem cell doctor to begin Tuesday

The Grekos hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Administration Building, room 1-140A, 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples. It is scheduled for four days.

Photo by Allie Garza

Zannos Grekos

BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs physician Zannos Grekos, whose license is in jeopardy for controversial stem cell therapy, is getting his day before a judge.

Barring a last-minute delay or settlement, an administrative hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Naples for the 47-year-old. He is fighting to get his license back in good standing from a suspension order, while the state Department of Health is pursuing more discipline and potentially revocation of his license.

Trained as a cardiologist, he's been licensed in Florida since 1996.

The trial-like proceeding, without a jury, is scheduled for four days before an administrative law judge. The proceeding is open to the public. The case against Grekos has garnered considerable media attention, including CNN and inquiries from European media.

A Texas father, Jimmy Bell, will be tracking what happens. Last year, he paid $57,000 upfront for his 5-year-old son, Jason, to undergo stem cell therapy to fight pulmonary hypertension. Despite pleas that his boy was weakening by the day, the treatment was never scheduled and Jason died. Bell received a $10,000 refund.

"He's taking advantage of people and it's more for personal gain," Bell said. "I'd like to see that stopped."

The hearing has been rescheduled numerous times since the state issued an emergency restriction against Grekos in February 2011. Authorities restricted his license and told him not to do any treatment with patients which involve bone marrow or stem cells.

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State licensing hearing for Bonita Springs stem cell doctor to begin Tuesday