Training in identification of impairment (see Warning Signs) and intervention procedure through extensive education of health care professionals

• NCPHP staff make presentations to medical staffs at hospitals, meet with Medical Executive Committees, present at Grand Rounds, etc., as well as exhibiting at conferences for various specialty societies and other medical organizations.

Assessment of referrals and recommendations for treatment

• NCPHP medical directors interview referrals at length in an attempt to determine if a problem exists; if findings indicate, referral options are provided where NCPHP experience has shown the best help for the particular problem can be obtained.
• Treatment Centers

Advocacy for successful program participants with medical boards, insurance companies, employers, and families

• NCPHP will share its participant information upon request of HMOs, medical staff credentialers, and others, only with specific written permission of program participants. Advocacy by NCPHP can be a valuable asset to an impaired practitioner seeking privileges, employment, malpractice insurance coverage, etc.
• Release of information form ( Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF)

• Re-release of information form ( Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF)

Monitoring and support that contribute to our program’s high recovery rate

• NCPHP monitoring consists of various means by which contract compliance and continued sobriety can be verified and documented. NCPHP monitoring contracts normally include requirements for 12-step and/or Caduceus meeting attendance; this attendance is reported by submission of Meeting Attendance Logs ( download PDF log form).  NCPHP field coordinators, counselors trained in dealing with addiction, make random calls on program participants in their homes and workplaces, obtaining urine and other drug screens, discussing and advising on progress in recovery, and helping with problems participants may be experiencing. Arrangements are also made for volunteer monitors assigned to participants by NCPHP (normally a professional colleague in recovery) to have regular contact with the participants, also occasionally helping NCPHP obtain drug screens and reporting quarterly on progress of the individuals. See Volunteer Monitor Program
• NCPHP is planning a Family Support System and will provide more details when they become available. The involvement of spouses or significant others, as well as other family members, is crucial to successful recovery.
• When NCPHP began search for a new and larger office site, an important prerequisite was adequate space for our Family Room. Read more about NCPHP’s Family Room

Financial assistance for indigent participants

• NCPHP solicits contributions twice annually for scholarship funds.
• The NCPHP Treatment Scholarship is available to help financially challenged practitioners gain entry to a treatment facility when sufficient funds might not otherwise be available.
• The Michael W. Wilkerson, MD, Family Assistance Fund was established for the purpose of enabling family members to attend the family portion of the treatment process, an important step towards the development of a strong support system.

Services available to Veterinarians

• NCPHP is now offering assistance to chemically-dependent veterinary personnel. Legislation has been passed allowing the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board to contract with North Carolina Physicians Health Program to provide non-punitive assistance to potentially impaired licensed veterinarians and registered vet technicians.
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