Support Groups



Housestaff Mental Health Service

The Housestaff Mental Health Service [HMHS] is provided by the UAMS College of Medicine for interns, residents, and fellows.

The HMHS assures timely access to a complete mental health program including diagnostic evaluation; medication management; counseling [individual, family, couples]; and preventative programs.  Services may be accessed through either the HMHS or the AEAP.

Some HMHS coverage may be prepaid as a College of Medicine service while other HMHS services will require QualChoice involvement. UAMS has prepaid all AEAP services.  All services are designed to be quickly accessible and financially friendly.

The offices of the HMHS are located in the Psychiatric Research Institute. HMHS is directed by Erick Messias, M.D., MPH, PhD and coordinated by LaQueita Hodge. For Release of Information Form, go to: http://www.uams.edu/gme/Release of info.htm.

To schedule an appointment, or for further information call 526-8286. Please identify yourself as housestaff.

Arkansas Employee Assistance Program 

What is AEAP?
At times, we can all use help. The Arkansas Employee Assistance Program provides short-term counseling for you and your family. You can use the AEAP for confidential assistance with personal problems that may be interfering with your life or work.

Arkansas EAP works closely with the Housestaff Mental Health Service (HMHS)  (http://www.uams.edu/gme/arkansas_employee_assistance_pro.htm#Housestaff_Mental_Health_Service) to ensure residents have timely access to quality Mental Health Services when indicated. 

What does it cost?
Arkansas EAP is a pre-paid benefit provided to all benefited UAMS employees. 

Benefits of your AEAP

For confidential assistance with issues related to:

Stress

Drugs/Alcohol

Grief

Work

Aging

Depression

Family, Parenting

Relationships

Finances

Other Problems

Is it confidential?
YES!! All contacts and information between you and the AEAP counselor are held in strict confidence.  Arkansas EAP follows all of the state and federal confidentiality laws.

To schedule an appointment, call: 686-2588 or 1-800-542-6021 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-800-542-6021      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.   Visit our Website at www.uams.edu/eap

UAMS Medical Staff Health Committee (Physician Health Committee)


What

The committee concerns itself with behavior of members of the hospital medical staff, including residents, that may indicate impairments of their professional performance by reason of alcohol use or abuse, drug use or abuse, mental illness, physical illness, or a combination of such factors.


Why

We recognize a moral and ethical obligation to protect our patients from the potentially adverse consequences of care administered by impaired physicians

We recognize a moral and ethical obligation to assist our physician colleagues who suffer from a potentially impairing condition

Factors contributing to alcohol/drug abuse among physicians

Stressful lifestyle

long hours, sleep deprivation, financial debt, limited free time, concern over career goals, perfectionism, isolation, unmet personal needs

Self-sufficiency

tendency to self-medicate, availability and familiarity with drugs

MD-eity

denial

Peer protection

 

The D’s

Delusion

"I need this hydrocodone/Stadol/etc for my sore shoulder/migraines/etc to be better able to do rounds/clinic/call"

"It’s OK to get wasted on my day off - I deserve it"

Denial

"I know all about these things - how they work, what they do - I can control them"

"It’s not a problem -It’s chic - Everybody does it"

Defiance

"Leave me alone! If I’m hurting anyone, I’m hurting no one by myself" "What I do at home/off is my own business"

 

Some indications of possible impairment due to substance abuse

smell of alcohol on breath/sweat

bad/frequent hangover signs and symptoms

inappropriate behavior at work; difficult to reach when on call; frequently needs coverage or "bailing out by peers/associates

reports of DWI’s or stories of "wild behavior"

persistent rumors of use of legal/illegal substances; drug-seeking behaviors

writing inappropriate prescriptions

declining academic/clinical performance

 

If you think you may suffer from potential impairment by virtue of a substance abuse, mental, or physical disorder, let us help you - your self-referral to the Committee will be handled in strict confidence

If you suspect potential impairment in a fellow physician, help us to help them - notify your program director, department chairman and/or a member of the Medical Staff Health Committee

 

Who’s on the committee?

Five or more members of the medical staff, reflecting to the extent possible the diversity of the medical staff

Danny Wilkerson, MD; Chairman
Kent Westbrook, MD
Jim Clardy, MD
Tim Martin, MD
Margaret Morgan-Cohen, EAP
Mark Hagemeier, JD
James Ireland, MD
Michael Mancino, MD
Robert Lavender, MD
Forrest "Bernie" Miller, MD

How the Committee works

Education

Identification

self-referral

evaluation of the credibility of complaints, allegations, or concern brought to the attention of the committee

Facilitation of treatment

assistance in accessing appropriate Rx options

monitoring the treatment/recovery process

Advocacy

 

Our purpose is assistance and rehabilitation:

We are not police!

We are about salvaging careers and lives

We are here if or when you need us:

If you are sick, let us help

If you suspect a colleague is sick, help us to help them

 

Alumni Association Office

Founded in 1969, this organization is the present day successor to various attempts dating back to at least 1894 to have a strong and active UAMS College of Medicine alumni organization. Membership includes not only alumni but also current and former house officers, faculty, all physicians practicing in Arkansas, and friends of the College.

Activities for the benefit of housestaff depend on current needs. In the past the Alumni Association remodeled and painted the University Hospital Neonatal ICU call room/conference room, bought the combination locks for all of the housestaff call rooms at UH, helped underwrite the expense for dinner for the Department of Internal Medicine Seminar and provided the Telephone Cards for all housestaff members. We also offer financial and other support for the Interns’ & Residents’ Spouses Auxiliary.

For departments that request it, we send "Little Rock Survival packets" to all residents new to the area, containing maps and other information on Arkansas.

Administrative Staff:

Judith McClain

526-4330

Ginny Rice
686-6684

Rena Pakis
686-5920
 

The Women’s Faculty Development Caucus

The Women's Faculty Development Caucus was established in 1989 to address the disparity between the growing numbers of women in medicine and the lack of women in leadership positions within academic medicine. The mission is to inspire, encourage, and enable women physicians and scientists to realize their professional and personal goals. See their website at (www.uams.edu/facultyaffairs/)


Student and Employee Health Services (SEHS)

http://familymedicine.uams.edu/?id=8354&sid=35

In order to ensure the safety and health of our employees, patients and visitors, all new employees, including Housestaff, must complete a New Employee Medical Screening within the first 30 days of employment. Some of the services available free of charge to residents at Student & Employee Health Services are New Employee Medical Screening, yearly TB skin tests, baseline EKG, color vision screening, and blood pressure check.

Please see their web site for locations and hours and call 686-6565 for appointments.   

Date page was last updated 03/05/12