government
Franklin nurse loses licenses after sending sexually explicit texts to mental health patients, state says
Summary by The Nashville Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by Caleb Wethington , WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate)
· July 23, 2026
· 2 min read
What This Story Is About The Tennessee Board of Nursing revoked the licenses and multistate practice privileges of a Franklin nurse practitioner after a consent order detailed sexually explicit communications with patients and allegations involving controlled substances and medical-record issues....
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Nashville Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Original reporting Caleb Wethington, WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate) Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 23, 2026 Indexed here Jul 23, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
Every story comes with a passport. How we work · Corrections log
Key takeaway What Happens Next The discipline will be reported to applicable professional databanks, according to the consent order.
Why this matters in The Nashville
The revocation of Rex Edward Sparks' nursing licenses and prescribing privileges by the Tennessee Board of Nursing has significant implications for patient safety in the Nashville area. As a nurse practitioner who owned and operated Simple Life Psychiatric Services in Franklin, Sparks had a position of trust with his patients, many of whom were vulnerable due to conditions such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD. The fact that he sent sexually explicit messages to patients and offered to provide controlled substances in exchange for nude photographs is a grave breach of that trust. This case also raises questions about the effectiveness of oversight and enforcement by state nursing regulators, particularly given that Sparks' licenses were reprimanded in 2020 for similar misconduct. The $6,000 in civil penalties and up to $5,000 in investigation and enforcement costs assessed against Sparks may serve as a deterrent, but the community will be watching to see how the Tennessee Board of Nursing prevents similar incidents in the future.
About this story
Original reporting by WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate) . The Nashville surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate) . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: government ·
Published: July 23, 2026 ·
Source: WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate) ·
Reading time: 2 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? What This Story Is About The Tennessee Board of Nursing revoked the licenses and multistate practice privileges of a Franklin nurse practitioner after a consent order detailed sexually explicit communications with patients and allegations involving controlled substances and medical-record issues....
When was this published? This article was first published on July 23, 2026 by WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate) and curated for The Nashville readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Caleb Wethington at WSMV 4 News (NBC affiliate). To learn more about how The Nashville selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more government coverage from The Nashville, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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