PREVENTION
Prevention programs are an important aspect of
m i l i t a r y l i f e .
P R E V E N T 2 0 0 0
( P e r s o n a l
Responsibility and Values, Education and Training) is
a program designed specifically for the younger Sailor.
ADAMS (Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Managers and
Supervisors) is required for E-5 and above.
Most commands have full-time or collateral-duty
DAPAs, Drug and Alcohol Program Advisors, who
provide the direct liaison between law enforcement,
medical, the Family Services Center, and the
commanding officer in all matters dealing with
intervention, identification, and treatment. The DAPA
coordinates on-site training, facilitates Alcohol
Anonymous meetings, and provides referrals for
outside intervention and inpatient treatment if
indicated. Personnel can be identified to the DAPA
through aberrant behavioral patterns, suspicious
medical findings, and by self-referral to either medical
or the chaplains office.
CONTROL
Medical personnel become professionally
involved in substance abuse programs when called
upon to withdraw blood or urine from an individual
suspected of drug or alcohol abuse. Few areas cause as
much concern and confusion to healthcare providers as
the question of when those bodily fluids may be
lawfully extracted.
At the outset, a few basic facts must be discussed.
1. The healthcare provider should not undertake a
fluid extraction procedure when to do so is
medically contraindicated.
2. Refusal to perform an extraction in the face of
lawful authority could subject the healthcare
provider to charges of obstruction of justice or
willful disobedience of an order.
3. The healthcare provider is not an arbiter of the
law.
(In other words, the admissibility of
evidence derived from a blood or urine sample is
not a matter for Medical Department personnel
to decide.)
4. Common sense and cooperation with command
and law enforcement officials should be the
guideposts in every instance where extraction of
bodily fluids is an issue.
The following are the circumstances where
withdrawal of blood or urine from active duty military
members is authorized:
Consensual withdrawalIf an individual
expressly consents to an extraction of bodily
fluids and there is a legitimate reason for the
extraction, the healthcare provider may perform
the procedure.
Valid medical purposeSpecimens may be
obtained from an individual for a valid medical
examination, provided the individual has
expressly or implicitly consented to the
examination.
Competence for duty examinationsThe
Competence for Duty Examination request form
(NAVMED 6120/1) contains a block for the
submitting authority to request laboratory
analysis.
See figures 151 and 152.
The
following procedures should be used in handling
competence for duty requests.
The command initiating the request should
complete items 1 through 12 of the form. The
individual submitting the request must have
authority to make the request. Normally, this
will be a commanding officer, executive
officer, or command duty officer of the
initiating command.
After proper initiation of the request, the
medical officer or other authorized healthcare
provider will complete blocks 13 through 49
on the form.
If the command has requested laboratory
analysis, the patient should first be requested
to give written consent to the procedure. If the
patient will not give consent but will allow
extraction, the sample should be taken. If the
patient refuses consent and will physically
resist extraction, the requesting command
should be notified and no extraction
attempted unless a search authorization is
issued.
PHYSICAL READINESS PROGRAM
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the
policies and procedures pertaining to the
Physical Readiness Program.
15-5