It began with a called meeting at the headquarters of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association in 1986. A group was formed that chose the name Pharmacists Helping Fellow Pharmacists (HELP) Committee. That group evolved over the years as concerns over liability arose.
In 1998 a group of folks from the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy, KPhA, as well as other interested persons found a sympathetic legislator and introduced legislation that took effect in July of 1998 (KRS 315.126 [PDF]). That legislation among other things added a $10 per license fee on each pharmacist in the Commonwealth for the purpose of funding an "Impaired Pharmacists Committee."
In October of 1999 the KY Board of Pharmacy appointed the Impaired Pharmacists Committee (IPC). It is composed of 11 members from geographically diverse areas. There is a faculty member and a student from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. There are members from various practice disciplines. The committee meets the day prior to regularly scheduled Board meetings. We review the petitions of persons seeking to have their licenses reinstated, and we make recommendations to the Board on those petitions.
There is also a group called the Kentucky Pharmacists Recovery Network that serves as a source of information for people seeking help negotiating their way through the discovery of their disease, treatment, aftercare, and petition for reinstatement. Brian Fingerson has been hired as a part-time consultant to the Board to serve as a liaison between KyPRN and the Board’s IPC.
We have had 89 contacts over the 14 years of our existence, and we have worked hard to provide the best possible assistance to those in trouble with the disease of chemical dependency. None of this could have happened without many dedicated volunteers. It also happened because of dedicated leadership willing to get the appropriate legislation needed to make it work.
There are positive changes in the works for KyPRN. Future plans including becoming a 501(c)(3) corporation and the development of a board of directors. Presently the KyPRN is free standing/separate from the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and the state pharmacy professional organizations. It utilizes substance abuse treatment professionals with credentials in the intervention, treatment and aftercare of clients. The director of KyPRN – now a paid part-time position – serves as the liaison between the two groups.
What about funding?
The organization presently does not charge client fees, but this is being looked at. The Board of Pharmacy currently has control of all the license renewal fees ($10 per each license renewal is set aside for a state impaired pharmacist program). KyPRN, as of this date, receives funds only through the salary of the director.
What about the state?
| Number of Pharmacy Schools in the state: |
1 |
| Number of Pharmacists licensed by the state: |
4800 |
Number of Active clients in the PRN organization:
Active clients are pharmacists, with one being a student. |
45 |
For further information on Kentucky’s program, you may contact Brian Fingerson at:
Brian Fingerson, RPh, LLC
KY Professionals Recovery Network - KYPRN
202 Bellemeade Road
Louisville, KY 40222-4502
O/H: 502-749-8385
Fax: 502-749-8389
All voluntary requests for information and assistance are strictly confidential.
The following link is a website that has some interesting articles on recovery issues for anyone in healthcare. It is primarily directed at pharmacists, however it pertains to anyone.
http://www.usaprn.org/ 