About AANA Peer Assistance

• AANA Peer Assistance Helpline (800-654-5167) for confidential assistance, informational support, and referral resources to nurse anesthesia professionals and the public on issues regarding well-being as it pertains to risk for substance use disorder and other issues such as experiencing adverse events and fitness for duty.
• Commitment to address the occupational risk for substance use disorder through educational endeavors for prevention and early recognition of substance use disorder and drug diversion.
• Formulation of guidelines, workplace resources, and policy considerations for safe intervention, reporting, treatment specific to anesthesia professionals, long-term recovery, and appropriate re-entry.

Yes, support is confidential. Information provided by a person contacting the Helpline will be shared only with the caller’s knowledge and for the purpose of helping facilitate support. Only anonymous demographic data is collected for reporting purposes. However, please note that all AANA staff and volunteers are required to comply fully with all applicable state laws regarding mandated reporting.

PAAC members lead the AANA peer support network comprised of State Peer Advisors (SPAs) nationwide. PAAC members serve as regional advisors to educate and guide the SPAs in each of the seven AANA geographic regions. The PAAC has oversight of the AANA Peer Assistance Helpline, now outsourced to Parkdale (see How is the AANA Peer Assistance Helpline Facilitated?). PAAC closely monitors the process and outcomes, including verification that callers are provided appropriate resources, such as a full list of approved treatment programs that CRNAs and SRNAs can select from, to ensure transparency and no conflicts of interest as Parkdale works with callers.

SPAs provide post-treatment follow-up peer support and facilitate resources within their state association. As part of the oversight of the outsourcing of the Helpline to Parkdale, SPAs monitor satisfaction and treatment outcomes through Helpline participant feedback. 

SPAs expand educational outreach, build awareness, and participate at the state and local levels.

Interested SPAs also receive further training to respond to adverse event support calls.

Yes. A personal experience with substance use disorder is not a requirement—many of the SPA volunteers are in recovery, while others have seen the devastation effect and wish to volunteer as allies. For more details see Information About State Peer Advisors.

In October 2018, the AANA and Parkdale Solutions, LLC, entered into a partnership to enhance the services offered to CRNAs and SRNAs who suffer from SUD or who have colleagues, friends, or coworkers they suspect of diverting drugs or of impairment due to drugs/alcohol. The PAAC and SPA networks are as vital as ever in this partnership.

Parkdale Solutions, LLC, is the sister company of Parkdale Center for Professionals, which is a dual diagnosis treatment center for professionals in the early stages of recovery. See What is the AANA Parkdale Partnership.

The partnership with Parkdale Solutions LLC was established in October 2018 with these primary goals:

• A 24-hour live answer AANA Peer Assistance Helpline, staffed by addiction professionals, to improve access to help for SUD;
• Reduction in variability in the support received;
• Improved access to care by a validated treatment provider meeting the needs of anesthesia professionals, their employers, and families;
• A formalized collaboration with AANA on education, treatment, aftercare, and reentry considerations specific to CRNAs and SRNAs.

Parkdale Solutions LLC, a sister company to Parkdale Center for Professionals, was developed to assist professionals, organizations, hospitals, regulatory agencies, and licensing boards in developing evidenced-based solutions to the SUD crisis throughout the country. As both a CRNA and an addiction professional, Rodrigo (Rigo) Garcia, APN, MBA, MSN, CRNA, ACIT, has primary responsibility for the live answer AANA Peer Assistance Helpline.

In the years prior to the partnership being formed, Rigo worked with the AANA to create the Parkdale Center for Professionals addiction treatment program following AANA recommendations specific to CRNAs and SRNAs. Rigo has helped the PAAC and the SPAs on critical peer support calls, speaking with affected CRNAs, colleagues, employers and loved ones to bring CRNAs from hazardous and vulnerable situations to safe, swift admittance to an addiction treatment program. Rigo and partner Claudia Garcia, MBA, BSN, RN, CADAC II, LAC, have presented at AANA SPA Workshops and the Annual Congress, as well as across the country, advocating for appropriate workplace polices for prevention and safe management of situations related to SUD and drug diversion.

In addition to the facilitation of the AANA Helpline, Parkdale Center for Professionals is a Strategic Alliance Treatment Program working closely with the AANA, employers, and Boards of Nursing to advocate for alternative to discipline models, provide education at AANA and related organization meetings, and support and develop safe reentry into practice for CRNAs.

See also AANA NewsBulletin January 2019 article: AANA Parkdale Partnership Jan 2019

AANA Peer Assistance is currently working to develop a list of AANA Approved Treatment Programs. Addiction treatment programs that have experience treating healthcare professionals can apply to be vetted for inclusion in the AANA’s newly defined two-tier classification system:

• Tier 1: AANA Strategic Alliance Treatment Programs meet the AANA’s most desirable evidence-based treatment criteria for anesthesia professionals, plus value-added Strategic Alliance criteria such as education, advocacy, research, and outreach.
• Tier 2: AANA Approved Treatment Programs meet the AANA’s most desirable evidence-based treatment criteria for anesthesia professionals (see www.AANA.com/TreatmentCenters).

Classification as an AANA Approved Treatment Program is an upgrade from the previous resource list of identified programs and involves working collaboratively with the PAAC, SPAs, and staff. All treatment programs on the AANA Approved Treatment Program list will be required to connect CRNAs who finish their programs with AANA peer support and, on a quarterly basis, to share aggregate data on treatment outcomes specific to their CRNA and SRNA populations. The collaboration and the rich data collected from it will enable the AANA to further advance SUD recommendations.

Email peerassistance@aana.com to request the approved program application.

No, AANA Peer Assistance is a member service for nurse anesthetists, students, and their families as well as colleagues, managers, and supervisors.

Contact the National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) for any questions related to recertification: 855-285-4658.

In the event of a lapse of four or more years, see Reentry Program information and handbook (formerly Refresher Program).

Please contact an attorney, ideally one familiar with nursing regulations, for any legal questions.