{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-567.17","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-567.17","heading":"Peer assistance program","body":"A. There is hereby established a peer assistance program to\n\nrehabilitate nurses whose competency may be compromised because of\n\nthe abuse of drugs or alcohol, so that such nurses can be treated\n\nand can return to or continue the practice of nursing in a manner\n\nwhich will benefit the public. The program shall be under the\n\nsupervision and control of the Oklahoma Board of Nursing.\n\nB. The Board shall appoint one or more peer assistance\n\nevaluation advisory committees hereinafter called the \"peer\n\nassistance committees\". Each of these committees shall be composed\n\nof members, the majority of which shall be licensed nurses with\n\nexpertise in chemical dependency. The peer assistance committees\n\nshall function under the authority of the Oklahoma Board of Nursing\n\nin accordance with the rules of the Board. The committee members\n\nshall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for the expenses\n\nincurred in the discharge of their official duties in accordance\n\nwith the State Travel Reimbursement Act.\n\nC. The Board shall appoint and employ a qualified person, who\n\nshall be a registered nurse, to serve as program coordinator and\n\nshall fix such person's compensation. The Board shall define the\n\nduties of the program coordinator who shall report directly to the\n\nExecutive Director of the Board and be subject to the Executive\n\nDirector's direction and control.\n\nD. The Board is authorized to adopt and revise rules, not\n\ninconsistent with the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, as may be\n\nnecessary to enable it to carry into effect the provisions of this\n\nsection.\n\nE. A portion of licensing fees for each nurse not to exceed Ten\n\nDollars ($10.00) may be used to implement and maintain the peer\n\nassistance program.\n\nF. Records of the nurse enrolled in the peer assistance program\n\nshall be maintained in the program office in a place separate and\n\napart from the Board's records. The records shall be made public\n\nonly by subpoena and court order; provided, however, confidential\n\ntreatment shall be canceled upon default by the nurse in complying\n\nwith the requirements of the program.\n\nG. Any person making a report to the Board or to a peer\n\nassistance committee regarding a nurse suspected of practicing\n\nnursing while habitually intemperate or addicted to the use of\n\nhabit-forming drugs, or a nurse's progress or lack of progress in\n\nrehabilitation, shall be immune from any civil or criminal action\n\nresulting from such reports, provided such reports are made in good\n\nfaith.\n\nH. A nurse's participation in the peer assistance program in no\n\nway precludes additional proceedings by the Board for acts or\n\nomissions of acts not specifically related to the circumstances\n\nresulting in the nurse's entry into the program. However, in the\n\nevent the nurse defaults from the program, the Board may discipline\n\nthe nurse for those acts which led to the nurse entering the\n\nprogram.\n\nI. The Executive Director of the Board shall suspend the\n\nlicense of a licensee who applied and entered the peer assistance\n\nprogram by choice without any order by the Board immediately upon\n\nnotification that the licensee has defaulted from the peer\n\nassistance program, and shall assign a hearing date for the matter\n\nto be presented to the Board. A licensee who was directed to apply\n\nand enter the peer assistance program by an order of the Board and\n\nwho does not enter or who defaults from the peer assistance program\n\nfor any reason shall be disciplined as set forth in the order of the\n\nBoard that directed the nurse to apply and enter the peer assistance\n\nprogram.\n\nJ. Any person who enters the peer assistance program\n\nvoluntarily or otherwise shall be responsible for any and all costs\n\nassociated with participation in the peer assistance program.\n\nK. A nurse may apply to participate in the peer assistance\n\nprogram by choice or may be directed to apply to the program by an\nof the\n\nBoard that directed the nurse to apply and enter the peer assistance\n\nprogram.\n\nJ. Any person who enters the peer assistance program\n\nvoluntarily or otherwise shall be responsible for any and all costs\n\nassociated with participation in the peer assistance program.\n\nK. A nurse may apply to participate in the peer assistance\n\nprogram by choice or may be directed to apply to the program by an\n\norder of the Board. In either case, conditions shall be placed on\n\nthe nurse's license to practice nursing during the period of\n\nparticipation in the peer assistance program.\n\nL. With regards to the peer assistance program, unless the\n\ncontext otherwise requires:\n\n1. \"Board\" means the Oklahoma Board of Nursing;\n\n2. \"Peer assistance committee\" means the peer assistance\n\nevaluation advisory committee created in this section, which is\n\nappointed by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing to carry out specified\n\nduties; and\n\n3. \"Default\" means the licensee has failed to comply with the\n\ncontract and/or amended contracts and/or treatment plans, as\n\ndetermined by the peer assistance committee, and/or has been\n\nterminated from the peer assistance program as defined in Board\n\nrules.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"6b9ffcd9ccd4ebdb361540b659365ac2682a5338fcd34c54436d01ff771ed6da","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-567.16a","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-567.18"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}