The first step is to identify those in need
and the main sources of identification are reporting by family
or friends, reporting by peers or other health care
professionals such as pharmacists or physicians or as a result
of a complaint and subsequent investigation of a violation(s) of
applicable laws.
Once identified, the dental professional is
afforded the opportunity to undergo an evaluation at an approved
treatment facility. Evaluations are conducted pursuant to
established and accepted protocols and include physical,
psychiatric, psychological and cognitive functioning measured
through examination, testing and the gathering of information.
In arriving at a diagnosis of addiction, criteria set forth in
the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric
Association, a trustworthy and well accepted treatise, must be
satisfied. Approved treatment facilities are those which have
developed treatment regimens specifically for the health care
professional and include Bradford Heath Systems in Alabama,
COPAC in Mississippi, and the Talbott Recovery Campus and
Ridgeview in Georgia. Neither the Committee or the Board is
compensated or receives any benefit whatsoever from any facility
for the referral or approval of any facility
An evaluation takes a minimum of three days
and can last a week depending on individual circumstances. The fees for the evaluation will
vary from facility to facility.
If a diagnosis of substance abuse or
addiction is rendered, then the accepted and expected treatment
for a health care professional is from twelve to twenty-six
weeks depending on the facility and includes both inpatient and
intensive out patient components. Treatment is only the
beginning and effective monitoring and aftercare is essential.
The obligations and requirements of aftercare and monitoring are
set forth in a Monitoring Agreement between the individual and
the Committee. Key features of the Agreement include the
abstinence from alcohol or drugs unless prescribed, drug
testing, meeting attendance, documentation of recovery or any
other requirement either recommended by the treatment facility
or tailored to meet the recovery goals or a particular
individual.
All drug testing, whether at the treatment
facility or as a part of monitoring, is conducted to ensure the
chain of custody of the specimen, i.e. insuring that the
specimen is received from the person who is tested and the
specimen tested is from that person, is sent to a laboratory
which must be approved by the Federal Government and is verified
by a medical review officer, a physician, who must meet certain
criteria and must follow approved standards before determining
that the result is positive. All drug testing is purely random
through the use of a color coded system with each person being
assigned a specific color. Each day the individual must call to
find out their color and if the color comes up, there must be a
test.
If the dental professional violates the
Alabama Dental Practice Act in connection with their addiction,
which unfortunately is most always the case, discipline will
result. Willingness to comply with treatment and contract helps
to mitigate this discipline. The legislation establishing the
Committee specifically provides that the actions of the
Committee do not supersede the Board’s duty to impose
sanctions. In almost every situation, once the treatment
facility verifies that the dental professional can practice with
reasonable skill and safety to patients, a Consent Order is
entered. This Order incorporates the Monitoring Agreement
reference above and provides that a violation of the Agreement
is a violation of the Order. Compliance with the Monitoring
Agreement is a condition of continued practice and therefore
serves as both encouragement and an effective deterrent to non
compliance. The Committee has found, based upon anecdotal
comment from those being monitored, that an integral part of
successful aftercare and monitoring is the realization that for
at least five years the Board has the power to remove one from
practice for a proven violation of the Order by virtue of a
violation of the Agreement. At the present time, all individuals
who have followed treatment recommendations and entered into
contract with the Committee have been returned to their
professional practice.
You are encouraged to contact the Committee
with any questions. Information is power. Please seek this
information from those who know and base your knowledge on
factual data and documentation not rumor. The more you know the
more you can help your colleague and perhaps save one. |
