Expanded in the 2024 General Assembly Session
SafeHaven ensures clinicians can seek support for burnout, career fatigue, and mental health reasons without the fear of undue repercussions to their medical license. Before SafeHaven, the belief that seeking help would result in a report to a health regulatory board was a huge impediment for professionals in distress. The program’s protections include physicians, PAs, residents, Nurse Practitioners, pharmacists, and medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.
During the 2024 General Assembly session, the SafeHaven program expanded in three ways:
- The program was expanded to dental hygienists and dentists
- SafeHaven can now provide outpatient healthcare to healthcare professionals under the SafeHaven umbrella
- Language was added to clarify the mandatory reporting requirements for hospitals when a healthcare professional voluntarily seeks behavioral health services
As SafeHaven continues to grow, the goal is to encourage providers to get help when they need it. With this expansion, a professional can seek voluntary admission to a hospital for up to 30 days so long as the treating physician, PA, or nurse practitioner certifies in writing that the professional is no longer a danger, no report will be required to the health regulatory board. In addition, the outpatient healthcare addition greatly expands SafeHaven’s scope of protection. For example, a professional enrolled in in the program and receiving counseling may now be able to pick up their prescription for anxiety medication without fear of mandatory reporting
This is a win for all healthcare professionals and patients across the Commonwealth!
Are you dealing with burnout symptoms or need additional professional support? See how SafeHaven can help at www.SafeHavenHealth.org.
