 David Myers, MD, CAP, FASAM, MRO
Diplomate American
Board of Addiction Medicine
Founder, Owner
and Medical Director of HealthCare Connection. He is a pioneer and innovator of “The Florida Model,” evaluator
for Florida Department of Health, Board of Bar Examiners, Judicial Qualifications Committee, Florida Professional Resources
Network (PRN), Florida Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) and Physician Health Programs throughout the United States. He
is and Associate Professor of University of Florida Department of Psychiatry Division of Addiction Medicine, supervising UF
Addiction Medicine Fellows at HealthCare Connection, Agency for Community Treatment Services (ACTS) and Drug Abuse Comprehansive
Coordinating Office (DACCO). He is also Medical Director of ACTS and DACCO, Medical Review Officer of the Florida IPN, Distinguished
Fellow and long time member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Past-President and continuous supporter
of Florida Society of Addiction Medicine (FSAM).
Full Continuum of Professional Treatment Services At HealthCare Connection, treatment for
doctors is offered in a full continuum - prevention/education, early intervention, outpatient, intensive outpatient, short-term
in-house, 30 day in-house, extended in-house treatment, detoxification and hospitalization if necessary. Additionally step-down
services are provided to assure a successful transition into aftercare, including marital/family counseling, ongoing access
to support groups and ongoing one-to-one therapy. Since 1995, HealthCare Connection of Tampa, Inc. has specialized in the treatment
of impaired professionals. HealthCare Connection provides a broad spectrum of care to both in-state and national referral
sources for impaired doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, other health care professionals, as well as attorneys.
HealthCare Connection has special expertise in treating individuals with co-occurring disorders like Depression, Anxiety,
PTSD and Bipolar. Eating Disorders and Chronic Pain issues are also recognized and managed with highly
individualized treatment plans. HealthCare Connection is committed to service in the local community through our State license to provide Prevention
and Education Services. Additionally HCC doctors serve on the Board of Directors of non-profits such as DACCO, Inc. and the
Florida Society of Addiction Medicine, Inc. HCC Staff present at various National and State annual conferences including
the American Bar Association, FADAA, ASAM and FSAM. Advocacy Professional Services for doctors in treatment include advocacy with administrative authorities (boards and/or monitoring
agencies), as well as courts if necessary. Advocacy is focused and effective due to the breadth of experience of our Staff Attorney, Tim Sweeney and Chief Clinical Officer, John Harden. Cost
effective, comprehensive, focused evaluation and treatment, of the caliber necessary to satisfy regulatory boards and agencies,
and a rapid return to one’s profession are all hallmarks of treatment at HealthCare Connection. Buprenorphine Experts Dr. Myers recognized the therapeutic value of Buprenorphine (now in the form of Suboxone and Subutex) over 15 years
ago. His experience utilizing buprenorphine in the treatment of addiction, chronic pain and withdrawal symptoms is unparalleled.
Iatrogenic
Dependence Addiction to opiates and sedatives often comes about as a by-product of treatment
for legitimate medical conditions such as pain and or sleep disorders. Understanding the etiology of an individual’s
addiction is a crucial part of the evaluation process at HealthCare Connection. Individualized treatment plans are developed
for those who have a dependency on pharmaceutical drugs which were legitimately prescribed. In such cases, the original problem,
such as pain or sleeplessness, must be identified, resolved or managed. Chronic Pain Health care professionals with real chronic pain issues are sometimes afraid to seek help due to fear of “forced
total abstinence.” With the use of buprenorphine and an extended ambulatory weaning process (weeks or even months),
we have found that many people are able to maintain on a much lower and safer dose of medication than their bodies had led
them to believe previously. Some are pleasantly surprised when they discover that total abstinence becomes a realistic goal
for them, as well. When treating pain AND addiction, our medical staff has the experience and knowledge necessary to create
an optimal outcome for each patient, individually. Recovery programs with buprenorphine maintenance for pain are available.
The ability to return to work in one’s profession, while maintaining on buprenorphine, is possible but is largely dependent
on the maintenance dose, other independent recovery indicators and the policies of one’s monitoring program. With our
experience in this area, we can be strong advocates in support of the patient with monitoring programs and regulatory boards,
when buprenorphine maintenance is appropriate. Environmental Hazard Some health
care professionals may be at higher risk for substance abuse issues due to repeated environmental exposure. While working,
anesthesiologists, pharmacists and many nurses handle very powerful opiates and sedative drugs all day, every day. Recent
research findings have shown that ambient concentrations of drug molecules found in the medical professionals workspace, such
as around sharps containers and in anesthesia field of the OR, may be associated with a lower threshold of substance abuse
proneness in exposed professionals. Much more research is necessary to fully understand these findings, however anecdotal
evidence of increased addiction issues in specific areas of health care is convincing. Appreciating and addressing these environmental
issues with a comprehensive relapse prevention plan is key to long term recovery after treatment. The use of naltrexone, for
instance, is sometimes recommended. Also, expertly facilitated Back-to-Work meetings with key personnel are available and
offered during discharge planning, when appropriate. Professional
Affiliations HealthCare Connection is professionally affiliated with the University of Florida, Department
of Psychiatry, Fellowship Program in Addiction Medicine, a one-to-two year fellowship training program which prepares physicians
for certification through the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). John Harden is the Executive Director
of the Florida Chapter of ASAM (FSAM). Dr. Myers is the Medical Director for the Agency for Community Treatment
Services, Inc. (ACTS) in Tampa. HealthCare Connection staff doctors provide all physicians services for ACTS,
including management of adult and juvenile addiction receiving facilities and secure detoxification units. ACTS is
one of two locked detoxification units in Florida. ACTS is one of the largest not-for-profit treatment providers
in Florida, contracting with Department of Children and Families, Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile
Justice. ACTS is the primary site for the therapeutic peer Mirror Imaging program for medical professionals
in treatment at HealthCare. Doctor Owned and Operated
Doctor-owned-and-operated means we are free to make admission decisions and
all clinical decisions based solely on the best interest of the patient.
Treatment for doctors and other healthcare professionals is offered in a full continuum - prevention/education,
early intervention, outpatient, Intensive-outpatient services, short-term in-house programs, 30-day programs, 90-day, extended
in-house treatment, detoxification, hospitalization, as well as step-down services, marital/family counseling, aftercare-support
group and ongoing one-to-one psychotherapy. Since 1990,HealthCare Connection of Tampa, Inc. has specialized in the treatment
of impaired professionals, providing a broad spectrum of care to both in-state and national referral sources for impaired
doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, other related health care professionals, andattorneys. In addition,
HealthCare Connection has special expertise in treating individuals with co-occurring disorders like Depression, Anxiety,
PTSD and Bipolar. HealthCare Connection is committed to service in the local community through our State license to provide
Prevention and Education Services. Included services include advocacy in the courts and with administrative agencies by our
Staff Attorney and Chief Clinical Officer. Cost effective, comprehensive, focused evaluation andtreatment, of the caliber
necessary for recovery and to satisfy boards and agencies, and a rapid return to one’s profession are all hallmarks
of treatment at HealthCare Connection of Tampa.
Dr. Strolla giving a talk on addiction
and recovery to the Junior League of Tampa at DACCO in April of 2009.
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