In 1978, the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) Board of Trustees established a committee for the purpose of assisting physicians suffering from substance use and addiction.
The Impaired Physicians Committee, later known as the Physician’s Health Program (PHP), was originally staffed by the late William Anderson, MD, and other volunteer physicians throughout Tennessee. Dr. Anderson’s vision and dedication to helping troubled physicians laid the foundation for the program in the years to come. The first full-time Medical Director, the late David T. Dodd, MD, was hired in 1984 and carried on that vision.
In 1992, the TMA transferred oversight and management of the program to the Tennessee Medical Foundation (TMF), an independent 501(c)3 organization. Gary Olbrich, MD, succeeded Dr. Dodd as medical director from 1996-1998, when Dr. Dodd returned. In January 2002, the late Roland W. Gray, MD, succeeded Dr. Dodd as medical director and led the PHP until his retirement in February 2017. Today, Michael J. Baron, MD, MPH, serves as medical director and continues to provide confidential care for physicians and other healthcare professionals the program is tasked to assist.
Initially focused on substance use, the TMF mission has expanded to assist with a wider range of problems, including mental, emotional, and behavioral health disorders. Today the TMF seeks to provide proactive help, education, and resources, and is active in state and national efforts to reduce stigma and encourage health professionals to seek help before a problem threatens patient safety, their career, or their lives. More recently, the PHP has been retitled as the Professionals Health Program, due to its expansion and service to additional health professions.
The TMF seeks to come alongside physicians and other health professionals and offer guidance and accountability in their recovery and restoration to practice.