Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About HAVEN
Health Assistance InterVention Education Network (HAVEN) is Connecticut’s only confidential monitoring and accountability program for licensed healthcare professionals with impairing or potentially impairing conditions. HAVEN was created by the State of Connecticut legislature and signed into law by Governor Jodi Rell in 2007. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 19a-12a et seq. delineates HAVEN’s legal requirements, as well as the eligibility requirements for licensed healthcare professionals. HAVEN continues to operate as a fully voluntary program and as an alternative to working with a licensing authority for professionals who are eligible and interested in this option.
HAVEN is a voluntary program available to licensed healthcare professionals in the State of Connecticut. This includes, but is not limited to: physicians/surgeons, nurses, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, veterinarians, behavioral health professionals, chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, dentists and dental hygienists, physical and occupational therapists, massage therapists, and, as of October of 2023, pharmacists and pharmacy interns.
Yes, a referral to HAVEN satisfies the mandatory reporting required under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 19a-12e, which requires that any health care professional who is, or may be, unable to practice his/her profession with reasonable skill or safety due to physical illness or loss of motor skill, emotional disorder or mental illness, or abuse or excessive use of drugs to be reported or to self-report to DPH, DCP or HAVEN. The report must be made within thirty (30) days. A report is also required following an arrest related to alcohol or drugs, and following a diagnosis of a mental illness, behavioral or emotional disorder.
HAVEN does NOT provide direct treatment to its professionals.
HAVEN promotes the health and wellness of Connecticut’s licensed healthcare professionals through education and prevention, early detection and intervention, referral for evaluation, referral for treatment, and when appropriate, ongoing monitoring, support, and accountability.
Individuals referred to HAVEN may be referred for a fitness for duty evaluation or due to a physical, mental, substance use, cognitive, behavioral, or boundary issue. The reasons for referral and evaluation are broad and varied.
Yes. Although the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health and Department of Consumer Protection determine eligibility under specific legal conditions, professionals may be able to work with HAVEN without public discipline. Working with HAVEN is an effective way to demonstrate commitment to health and wellness and to demonstrate acceptance for accountability.
The professional will work with HAVEN to create a comprehensive biopsychosocial plan to support the professional during their engagement with HAVEN. Confidential support can help to decrease the shame and stigma related to certain diagnoses and the need for ongoing care and monitoring. Information about working with HAVEN will not be disclosed without an appropriate authorization signed by the individual. State law provides additional protections in the event of certain legal and court proceedings.
There are certain circumstances delineated under state law that require HAVEN to disclose information regarding a professional to the licensing authority without obtaining prior authorization from the professional. However, the majority of professionals working with HAVEN are confidential from their licensing authority.
Costs involved with initial evaluation with HAVEN include, as appropriate, an initial engagement fee of $750.00, and evaluation costs, treatment fees, and toxicology test fees paid by the professional directly to third parties. If a professional is working with HAVEN for ongoing monitoring and accountability, there is a monthly administrative fee to HAVEN of $180.00, along with any applicable ongoing costs related to care, treatment, and testing.
HAVEN offers several options for our participants with demonstrated financial hardship, including interest-free payment plans and limited grant opportunities. This is discussed on an individual basis based on a number of factors including external support.
Common HAVEN Participant Questions
For those who have been engaged with HAVEN for 6 months or longer, and have remained compliant with their HAVEN contract, they are eligible for twenty (20) days of “vacation” from logging into and testing with RecoveryTrek. This vacation does not exempt you from using your portable breathalyzer device. Vacation requests can be made on your RecoveryTrek account and must be made one (1) month in advance. If you do not meet these requirements, your Participant Service Coordinator can provide you with testing locations near where you will be staying. For a full list of guidelines on vacation days, please speak with your case management team.
Quarterly reports are due on January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th. It is your responsibility to provide your treaters and practice liaisons with the forms and remind them to submit them. If you have made a reasonable effort to obtain these, and are still not successful, your HAVEN team will attempt to collect them. If the reporter is still not responding, you will need to identify a new treater or practice liaison who will submit reports on your behalf.
We will need documentation from your doctor of the upcoming procedure as well as the discharge paperwork including the procedure and any medications prescribed. If you do not have documentation prior to your procedure, it is imperative that you submit the discharge summary as soon as possible.
A Practice Liaison is someone who works with you on a regular basis, either in a supervisory role or as a colleague/coworker. The Practice Liaison will submit quarterly reports to HAVEN on your behalf confirming that you are practicing with a reasonable degree of skill and safety and will communicate with your HAVEN team regarding any concerns surrounding potential impairment in the workplace. The Practice Liaison is not required to know WHY you are with HAVEN, only that you are in a health monitoring program. The Practice Liaison is the primary contact between your workplace and HAVEN.
Yes, HAVEN can write letters on your behalf. Because these letters are detailed and require a review of your case by our CEO, we require a 7-day notice to prepare these letters. If you need a letter expedited, there is a separate $25 fee. You will need to sign an authorization for the specific recipient of the letter, and HAVEN will need the recipient’s contact information to properly address the letter of compliance/support.
You can order chain of custody forms through your RecoveryTrek portal, or you can let your Participant Service Coordinator know you need more. If you’re running low, you may request that HAVEN mail you a few to use in the short term until your order arrives.
The terms and conditions of your participation with HAVEN are determined by the Medical Review Committee. In most cases, this includes therapy and medication management. While we cannot require you to take medication, you may not be cleared to return to practice unless the impairment you are experiencing is well managed, which in many cases would indicate medication is necessary. You are required to engage in therapy until it is decided between you, your treater, and HAVEN that you have met your treatment goals.
Common Questions About Mandated Reporting
Consider all information available to you. See Symptoms of Impairment. Does the behavior or condition raise a concern that the professional may be unable to practice with skill and safety if the condition or behavior is not managed? The intention is early intervention. The behavior or condition does not need to have displayed in practice setting. You are responsible to intervene prior to direct impact on practice.
If you have any information that a professional may be unable to practice with skill and safety and you are a health professional, you are legally obligated to report. If you acquired the information as a treatment provider, you should report if you believe the report is necessary to prevent or lessen risk of harm to the health or safety of other persons, patients, or the public.
Visit the DPH website: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/dph/practitioner_licensing_and_investigations/plis/impairedreportingformpdf.pdf?la=en
Call HAVEN at (860) 828-3175
If the report is made to DPH, it will not be anonymous.
If the report is made to HAVEN, you must give your name and contact information. However, you may ask that your identity not be disclosed. Referral source will be identified as anonymous in the participant record. In order to satisfy the mandated reporting requirement, HAVEN must document who made the referral. This information is kept in a secure location.
If the report is made in good faith and without malice, you are entitled to immunity by law.
If the professional is eligible to participate in HAVEN and is compliant with the health plan designed for the professional, his or license will not be subject to discipline. If the professional caused patient harm, was convicted of a felony, or has a history of licensure discipline, the Department of Public Health will determine eligibility for the confidential program or establish a disciplinary track.
HAVEN is responsible to notify DPH. The Department will determine if discipline is appropriate or may offer the professional another opportunity to work with HAVEN.
No. HAVEN is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Although established by state law to be an alternative to discipline program, HAVEN is independent from the Department. HAVEN is required by law to notify the Department and to transfer HAVEN records to the Department if a professional is not compliant.
Yes. A healthcare professional may not rely on the individual professional’s obligation to self-report. A health care professional who is aware that another professional has been arrested for a drug related offense is legally obligated to report to HAVEN or to DPH. A healthcare professional who is aware of an arrest for behavior which raises a concern for fitness to practice is also required to make a report, although the professional does not have an obligation to self-report an arrest related to mental health.
Yes. A report to Department of Consumer Protection does not satisfy the mandated reporting responsibility. The Department may wait for DCP to complete its investigation. HAVEN will reach out to the professional.
Although you should confirm that the concern arises from fact, e.g. professional observed slurring words on an identified date and time, you may not coordinate a medical or psychiatric evaluation, require production of medical or mental health records, or require a report whether oral or written from a treatment provider in lieu of making the report. A hospital committee, employee assistance program, or other entity does not satisfy mandated reporting responsibilities. If you have sufficient information to require that a health condition with the potential for impairment must be ruled out, you are mandated to report the concern to the Department or HAVEN.
If the referral is made to the Department, the professional is entitled to due process and a hearing before the appropriate Board or Commission. If the professional elects to work with HAVEN, the professional is not entitled to due process or a hearing. Working with HAVEN is not disciplinary and is a choice for an eligible professional.