PT Board Winter Newsletter: Compact Updates, Wellness Program, Board Changes

Alabama Board of Physical Therapy

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 V O L U M E 3 1 I S S U E 1 Newsletter

Board Members

Jonathan Zecher, PT 5th Congressional District

From the Desk of the Executive Director Zach Nelson, PTA

North Region

Dana Daniel Blake, PT Happy New Year! 6th Congressional District

While 2023 was a productive year, we have no plans to Robin Irwin, PT slow down in our pursuit to make 2024 an even better Treasurer, 2nd Congressional

District year. One of our major projects for 2024 is to improve the Board website. We have already started working T-Michael Dougherty, PTA

Chair, South Region with the Alabama Office of Information Technology to develop this new, improved website. Once complete, end-users will find the website Robert Fleming Jr., PT

Secretary, 1st Congressional more user friendly; there will be a clearer path for users to gain access to areas of District need or interest and to find answers to questions. Additionally, the newer software

Margaret Hemm will provide enhanced security. Consumer Member

Thank you to Nathan McGriff for your Service! Legal Counsel In reflection and gratitude, the Board would like to express appreciation for the ser-J. Matt Bledsoe

Assistant Attorney General vice Nathan McGriff selflessly gave to the ABPT over the past 10 years while repre- senting the Northern District PTA Board Member. He served in many roles while on Administrative Staff the ABPT, including Secretary and Wellness Program Liaison. Kathy Miller

Executive Director Welcome to the Board, Zach Nelson, PTA!

Kristi Mullins On December 15, 2023, Governor Kay Ivey appointed Zach Nelson as the Northern Accounting District PTA Board Member. Zach has been a Physical Therapist Assistant for 15 years.

Claire DiLaura Additionally, in 2021, he earned an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Manage-Accounting and Budgeting ment from the University of North Alabama. Zach currently serves as Director of Oper- ations for Amedisys Hospice. The ABPT looks forward to tapping into Zach's wealth of Contact

info@pt.alabama.gov knowledge and experience to protect the consumers of Alabama. ( 3 3 4) 2 4 2 - 4 0 6 4 ( 8 8 8 ) 7 2 6 - 9 7 4 3 -Kathy Miller, Executive Director

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PT COMPACT UPDATE The Physical Therapy Compact is an agreement between member states to improve access to physical therapy services for the public by increasing the mobility of eligible physical therapy providers to work in multiple states. FSBPT launched the PT Compact to increase consumer access to physical therapy services by reducing regulatory barriers to interstate mobility and cross-state practice. Taken from: fsbpt.org

Update The Alabama Board of Physical Therapy (ABPT) continues to make progress toward issuing compact privileges in Alabama and will be working through the Spring on a number of final implementation steps. Necessary modifications to the ABPT Administrative Code have been made to reflect the new compact privilege-holder designation, and the ABPT is currently working with the State's Legislative Services Agency (LSA) to finalize and officially publish those changes to our administrative rules. The ABPT is also concluding the process of contracting with Fieldprint, a nationally recog- nized company that will serve as an intermediary between the ABPT and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to collect and manage digital fingerprint and identity verification for physical therapists seeking compact privileges. Finally, ABPT is working with the FSBPT to make an online jurisprudence learning module available that will allow those seeking compact privileges in Alabama to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the rules and regulations governing the practice of physical therapy in the State. The ABPT anticipates being able to issue compact privileges by mid- summer 2024, as scheduled.

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Wellness Program (Impaired Practitioner)

The Alabama Board of Physical Therapy remains committed to serving and protecting the public and physical therapy licensees in the State of Alabama by continuing our support and commitment to the Impaired Practi- tioner Wellness Program. Implemented to aid licensees who are impaired due to illness, inebriation, exces- sive use of drugs, alcohol, narcotics, chemicals, or other substances, or as a result of a physical or mental condition, the Wellness Program continues to be administered with great success by Dr. Mike Garver, DMD. The program is currently working with 12 participants, and 11 of those entered the program by self-report. The Wellness Program offers a confidential and supportive pathway for licensees seeking assistance. By self- reporting, a licensee can contact Dr. Garver or the Board office directly for the necessary help without jeop- ardizing their professional license. Additionally, opting for self-reporting means you can bypass the formali- ties of a Board hearing with the violations committee and avoid any subsequent reporting requirements to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Most importantly, this process is entirely private; your identity is pro- tected and known to the Board solely through a case number, ensuring there is no public record of the pro- ceedings. This initiative underscores our commitment to providing a supportive environment for our licensees, prioritizing professional integrity, confidentiality, and protection of the public.

For physical therapists and physical therapist assistants seeking support, we encourage you to contact the Wellness Program Director via the Wellness Center Hotline at 1-855-865-6704. The challenges of addiction and dependency are significant, a fact that has become even more apparent during the post-pandemic period. It is important to remember that as healthcare professionals, we are not exempt from these struggles. As physical therapy licensees in Alabama, we all have a duty and responsibility to report practitioners who may be impaired. In our roles as members of the Alabama Phys- ical Therapy Board appointed by the Governor, our primary mission is to safeguard the public. Assisting impaired practitioners is a crucial component of this mission and serves the interest of the licensee and the public, and every member of the Board takes this responsibility very seriously. We have all known or heard of a practitioner who has lost their license due to addiction or dependency. The embarrassment, shame and frustration often ac- companying that outcome can be avoided through self-reporting to the Wellness Program Director.

The overarching goal of the Wellness Program is to allow licensees to continue to participate in the practice of physical therapy and allow the public access to those services. In that context, the Board affirms its commitment to serving and protecting the public while maintaining a regulatory role that is not imposed by punitive action but by restorative and corrective action whenever possible. If you know a licensee who needs help, or you think you need to help yourself; we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the Wellness Program by contacting Dr. Garver or calling the Board office today. Mentors play a vital role in the program's success and provide participants with someone to turn to who has experienced similar challenges with addiction and dependency. Mentors remain anonymous, and the duration of participation is determined by each individual. If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please contact Dr. Mike Garver using the contact information below.

Dr. Michael Garver, DMD P.O. Box 426 19260 North Mobile Street Citronelle, AL 36522 E-mail: abptwellness@gmail.com Phone: (256)866-5585 Fax: (251) 866-5570

Disciplinary Notices

Case #2023-09: Kimberly Deann Perkins, PTA Case #2023-013: Angela Burgett, PTA Failure to Comply with a Condition of her License. Filing False Reports or Falsifying Records License Surrendered Closed and Approved: November 9, 2023 Closed and Approved: July 13, 2023 Case #2023-014: Mark Staples, PT Case #2023-010: Jeffrey Scott Jensen, PTA Practicing with an Expired License Unbecoming Conduct Closed and Approved: November 9, 2023 Closed and Approved: July 13, 2023

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U N E 2 0 2 2 V O L U M E 3 1 I S S U E 1 School Visits and Happenings

3rd Year UAB DPT Students--Left and Below Southern Union PTA Students--Left Wallace Hanceville PTA Students--Below

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LBW Community College PTA Students in the Halloween spirit! - Above

2nd Year DPT Students - Samford University - Above

APTA Annual Conference--Right

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WE ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Follow and like us on Facebook! @Alabamaboardphysicaltherapy

Connect with us on LinkedIn! Alabama Board of Physical Therapy

Follow and like us on Instagram! @alboardpt

We encourage you to check out:

www.ptalabama.org www.pt.alabama.gov www.ptcompact.org www.fsbpt.org

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