Massachusetts State House in Boston. File photo
BOSTON — State officials plan to launch a voluntary program by the end of the year to help health care workers recovering from substance use disorders and other mental illnesses.
The Unified Recovery and Monitoring Program (URAMP), which would be established under the Mental Health Care Access Act of 2022, aims to ensure patient safety and support the gradual return of qualified health professionals to providing care.
Jonathan Dillon, policy director for the Department of Public Health's Office of Health Professions Licensing, gave the Health Professions Board an update on the program on Thursday as part of an ongoing effort to solicit feedback from the state's 21 licensing boards.
“The service is focused on protecting the public and is designed as a monitoring program that allows for an overview of how licensees are receiving the support they need to recover and manage their substance use disorder and mental illness, whilst maintaining a safe practice,” Mr Dillon said.
The agency previously said URAMP was scheduled to launch “at some point” this summer, according to the program's webpage. Dillon said the agency is working on a variety of tasks, including training staff, finalizing program guidance for licensing boards, building a case management platform and developing an outreach plan for stakeholders.
Dillon said health care workers who feel they can't control their substance use disorder or mental illness can “self-refer” to URAMP for support. But the majority of the program's referrals are expected to come from licensing boards, and officials will launch investigations into whether disciplinary action is needed after “adverse events,” he said.
Dhillon emphasized that unlike disciplinary proceedings, URAMP operates as a confidential program. Dhillon said that if health care workers are accepted into URAMP and officials determine that the incident is directly related to their substance use disorder or mental illness, any disciplinary action against them will be dropped.
URAMP will build on two similar recovery programs already in place for the Board of Nursing Registration and the Board of Pharmacy Registration, which will be transitioned into URAMP to serve all 21 licensing boards.
“With the expansion and reach of the committee, we expect the number of cases we take in lieu of disciplinary action to at least double over the first three years,” Dillon said. “We are positioning our team to be able to handle that.”
Healthcare workers admitted to URAMP are barred from working for six months after a mental health evaluation confirms their condition, said Edmund Taglieri, who oversees the pharmacy substance use disorder program. URAMP is intended to be a three-year program for participants, but the duration can be longer depending on their recovery needs, Taglieri said.
Taglieri said participants will take part in intensive recovery activities, begin by attending four peer support group meetings each week, receive mental health counseling every two months, and undergo random urine testing.
Healthcare workers who make it through the program will be gradually allowed to return to work, but they will be subject to some restrictions, including being supervised at work, having limited hours or shifts they can work, and not being able to order federally controlled substances until two years into the program, Taglieri said.
As officials continue to develop the program, Taglieri has asked the Board of Allied Health Professions, which includes occupational therapists, physical therapists and athletic trainers, to consider “unique aspects” that should be monitored as licensees return to work.
“We don't need it right now. You can always provide it over the next few months, it's not something we need right now,” Taglieri said. “It's something we can adjust as we go through the program.”
Authorities say they are preparing for the possibility that URAMP participants may relapse.
“At no stage in the recovery journey is there a one-time opportunity and then it's over,” Dillon says. “We support participants through our programs and recognize that there will be ups and downs in recovery. There is a degree of tolerance and acceptance where there is evidence of engagement in our programs, but we will always make efforts within reason to support people in recovery.”
