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Follow on Google News |  Ending Nurse's Week by Facing the Hidden Epidemic of Impaired Nurses.How can a nurse, doctor, dentist, or any other health care professional fall prey to substance abuse and addiction? Their training should decrease the risk of becoming an addict, right? Sadly, many nurses DO become addicted. Where can they find help?
Cincinnati's own Jack Stem was one of the professionals interviewed for this article. He, along with Patricia Holloran, RN, author of “Impaired: “This disease still carries a heavy stigma for those unlucky enough to find they have it. Despite the amazing growth in the knowledge and understanding of this disease, that knowledge hasn't made it to the front line care giver. Nurses and doctors still make decisions based on what I call the 3 Ms; Myth, Misbelief, and Misinformation. As a peer advisor for Ohio's nurse anesthetists, my job is to educate all practitioners and incoming students about the risk of substance abuse and addiction. This disease is the number one health risk associated with the practice of anesthesia, yet many anesthesia providers are unaware of that fact, or choose to ignore it. Denial about the disease isn't exclusive to those who have it. Friends, family and colleagues also fall victim to denial.” Mr. Stem started his consulting and educational company, Peer Advocacy for Impaired Nurses, LLC, last October (2008) when it became clear he was receiving more and more calls from non-anesthesia nurses looking for help. The Ohio board of nursing developed an alternative to discipline program in the mid to late 1980's for nurses who voluntarily sought help for their impairment. The Ohio Nurses Association provided the monitoring service for Ohio nurses enrolled in the program. The alternative to discipline program is currently under review and the ONA is no longer involved. “As a result, nurses are caught between a rock and a hard place. They fear for their license, their ability to return to nursing after successful treatment for their disease. But their biggest fear is the stigma they will face from their family, the public, and their nursing colleagues”, says Stem. “Despite the acknowledgement by the AMA, ANA, and other professional organizations, that addiction is a disease, the attitude of health care providers continues to be negative, especially toward impaired professionals. If we ever hope to change the way addicts are treated personally and medically, we must first educate the health care providers about the disease of addiction. If health care professionals don't get it, how can we ever expect the average Joe and Jane to change their view? We have over 25 million people in this country struggling with substance abuse and addiction. The average age where a person first tries a mood altering substance for "fun" is under 12 years. The most common place they obtain drugs is the medicine cabinet. Why are we continuing to do things the way we always have when it clearly hasn't been successful? I'm just one individual who has experienced the shame and guilt associated with this disease. I was lucky to have people who love me enough to refuse to give up or let me give up. I'm just trying to pay that love and respect forward. No one should have to fight their own colleagues to get the treatment they need and deserve. Especially when their colleagues are health care professionals.” Mr. Stem has joined forces with LaTonia Denise Wright, RN, BSN, JD, and a leading attorney dealing with nursing and licensure issues in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Wright and Stem have developed a series of workshops for nurses in the Greater Cincinnati area. These workshops will focus on the disease of chemical dependence, recognizing an impaired colleague, and taking steps designed to safely remove the impaired nurse from practice while helping them enter treatment programs designed to deal with the unique needs of addicted health care professionals. Ms. Wright discusses the legal and licensure issues facing the nurse dealing with substance abuse and addiction. She also provides valuable information covering a wide variety of legal issues many nurses are unaware they face on a daily basis in their practice. The workshops begin on March 30, 2009 and will be offered throughout the remainder of the year. About Peer Advocacy for Impaired Nurses, LLC Founded by Jack Stem in 2008 to improve patient care and safety and to assist nurses in achieving long-term recovery. These goals are accomplished by assisting the nursing profession in early recognition and intervention of the impaired nurse. A variety of services are provided, including educational programs and workshops, assisting organizations in developing effective policies and procedures for preventing substance abuse and dealing with impaired nursing staff. Additional services are designed to assist the impaired nurse in obtaining appropriate, evidence based treatment for substance abuse and chemical dependence, relapse prevention, and recovery “coaching” For information on these and other services, a copy of the titles and dates of the workshops for nurses, or to make a reservation, contact: Jack Stem Peer Advocacy for Impaired Nurses, LLC 513-833-4584 (Cell) Email: jack@jackstem.com Web Site: http://www.peeradvocacyforimpairednurses.com Seminar dates: http://peeradvocacyforimpairednurses.com/ Blog: http://advocacyforimpairednurses.blogspot.com/ For information on the programs and services provided by The Law Offices of LaTonia Denise Wright, LLC, contact: LaTonia Denise Wright, RN, BSN, JD The Law Offices of LaTonia Denise Wright, LLC 11427 Reed Hartman Highway, Suite 205 Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 Phone: 513-771-7266 Email: ldw@nursing- Web Site: http://www.nursing- Blog: http://www.advocatefornurses.typepad.com/ Representing, Counseling, and Advising Nurses. # # # Peer Advocacy for Impaired Nurses, LLC provides information regarding Substance Abuse and Chemical Dependence in the nursing profession. Recovery coaching, policy development, presentations for nursing organizations, nursing associations, businesses, schools, and Faith based communities. End
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