SENATE DOCKET, NO. 672        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 746

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act relative to the nurses rehabilitation program participant bill of rights ..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 80F of Chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting  after subsection (g) the following:- 

(h) All rehabilitation programs created by this section must abide by the Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program Participant Bill of Rights, which states:

All Participants are allowed an Attorney of their choice. 

Mental illness issues other than Drug and Alcohol addiction are off limits to SARP Administrators. 

There must be consistency in punishment for re-lapses or violations of the rules.

All participants in this program have the right to appeal to an Independent Advocate that reports into someone other than the Nursing Board.  This advocate must have the power to mediate disconnects between the SARP coordinators and SARP Participant Attorneys.

Nurses should be allowed to develop and join support groups that will help them in their recovery.  These groups should have no connection with the SARP Board other than a tool in the recovery process.