PORTLAND, Maine — A physician assistant in Portland has been disciplined by a state licensing board for substance abuse violations.
Patrick Carson was undergoing voluntary monitoring through a program that assists medical professionals with substance abuse problems when he tested positive for alcohol consumption in August 2011 and again in October 2011, according to a June 12 consent agreement with the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine.
Carson said the August finding was the result of accidental alcohol ingestion, but admitted to a relapse while on vacation in October, according to the agreement.
The findings violated Carson’s contract with the Maine Medical Professionals Health Program. After two failures, participants are reported to the licensing board and their cases become public.
Carson’s record with the board lists the emergency department at Mercy Hospital in Portland as his most recent employer.
Carson accepted a five-year conditional license from the board. He agreed to substance monitoring and attendance at self-help group meetings and must have a physician monitor his medical practice.
Carson was fined $2,000. Payment is suspended as long as he complies with the terms of the consent agreement. His medical license will be suspended if he violates the agreement.
Carson has held a physician assistant license in Maine since 1995.
May God grant you the serenity
This man already is suffering, what makes BDN think this is news? All of this information is listed for the public at board of licensure under maine.gov Putting this as a major news story, likely just ruined the career of a man who is trying to pull his life back together. Shame BDN.
The public has a right to know who they are entrusting their lives.
It is not the newspaper who put his career at risk. His own personal decisions put him at risk.
There are dozens and dozens of medical/health professionals who are under “consent agreement” for substance abuse with their licensing boards. It is public knowledge by looking up the providers name. however, to single out one person and place it as a major news story, especially when this man still holds his license to practice, is just wrong. The board of licensure is monitoring him, the general public doesn’t need to cast stones.
I absolutely agree with you. Not everyone is aware of or able to access the public website that provides this information. People have a right to know if the medical provider treating them has possible issues with substance abuse, if the abuse occurred on the job. Life and death decisions not only rely on the provider’s education, skills, and training–but also on sobriety. If the provider is working while impaired, all of what makes him or her a qualified medical decision maker goes out the window.