The Alabama Legislature in 1988 mandated
the Board to create a Committee for the purpose of
identification, intervention, rehabilitation and monitoring of
those dental professionals who become victims to the disease of
addiction. While this mandate authorizes intervention for
physical or emotional impairments other than those resulting
from addiction, the bulk of the Committee’s work involves the
latter.
The Committee is now know as the Alabama
Dental Professionals Wellness Committee and consists of
recovering and dedicated dental professionals under the
exceptional leadership of Dr. Michael C. Garver. As will be
more fully explained below, these individuals devote their time
to accomplishing the legislative mandate described above or
simply stated, to help their colleagues recognize their disease,
seek treatment and return to their profession with a new and
lifelong health and wellness.
There are currently eighty one dental
professionals being monitored by the Committee and the Committee
has interacted with hundreds dental professionals since its
inception. Without a small measure of satisfaction and as a
ringing endorsement of the success and efficacy of the Committee
and its protocols, there is a relapse rate of only 1% which is
believed to be among the lowest of any similar program involving
health care professionals in the United States. This success is
in no small part due to the individuals involved, an
understanding of the disease of addiction, cooperation of
various treatment facilities, the relationship with the Board,
effective and aggressive monitoring, and the willingness to
adapt to change and always trying to improve as greater insight
is learned about not only this disease but effective ways to
treat, monitor and prevent relapse. |
