Theresa Vidals, B.S.Pharm.
Meet Theresa, affectionately known as “Terri”, a seasoned pharmacist with a rich career spanning over three decades. Her noteworthy expertise in medication safety and drug diversion monitoring has been honed over 15 meaningful years in the field. Recognized widely as an authoritative figure in drug diversion mitigation and surveillance, she is proficient in fostering comprehensive drug diversion programs across various healthcare facilities. Possessing an uncanny situational awareness, Terri’s ability to intuitively gauge and adapt to various circumstances sets her apart. Moreover, she has a talent for streamlining workflows, skillfully reorganizing and eliminating redundant steps to boost efficiency and productivity within any healthcare setting.
Terri is a strong advocate for establishing a compassionate and self-reporting culture within healthcare organizations. Balancing empathy for healthcare professionals grappling with substance use disorders, she keenly understands the accompanying safety risks. Terri, therefore, collaborates tirelessly with facilities to bolster the accountability of controlled substances, ensuring the well-being of all involved.
As the host of the ‘Drug Diversion Insights’ podcast, Terri navigates the complex narratives of substance abuse and drug diversion. Her compelling discourses on these significant issues have elevated her to a respected speaker within the industry.
Terri’s deep-seated commitment to drug diversion mitigation led her to establish Rxpert Solutions. With her team’s profound expertise at the helm, she envisages Rxpert Solutions as a beacon of guidance for all facilities. Their mission is to offer their specialized knowledge as a valuable alternative, or serve as an interim support while waiting for on-site personnel to cultivate their proficiency in this crucial area. As a testament to her career, Terri’s embodiment of warmth and professionalism has become synonymous with her identity in the field.
Education
Terri has her B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Kansas and is a Licensed Pharmacist in Wyoming, Hawaii, and California.
Associations
She is a member of International Health Facility Diversion Association, National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, San Diego County Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Taskforce, and a former member of the California Hospital Association Medication Safety Committee. Terri holds the ISMP & ASHP Medication Safety Certificate, and has training in interview techniques. Terri is the host of a podcast, Drug Diversion Insights, and is a recognized speaker on the topic of substance abuse and drug diversion.
Philosophy
She believes a safer environment must be created for the patient as well as the healthcare worker. With her years of experience in the hospital setting, a talent for organization and operations, a developed skill in diversion monitoring, regulatory survey participation, and medication safety plan development, Terri’s passion is to make a real and lasting difference.
Terri founded Rxpert Solutions so that all facilities would have access to her expertise in lieu of on-site personnel, as well as to bridge the gap while on-site personnel are developing their own expertise.
Meet the Team
Rodrigo Garcia MBA, MSN, APN-BC, CRNA
Rodrigo has been a direct health care provider for over 25 years where he specialized in trauma, emergency room, critical care, addictions, and anesthesia. As a provider, he has experienced the consequential effects of diversion and impairment amongst providers. Today he works in the mental health/addiction space, specializing in the treatment, monitoring, and reentry of the impaired provider suffering from substance use disorder. Rodrigo has interviewed thousands of diverting health care providers and has developed a “profile” of the impaired provider as well as a collection of the techniques used to divert medications. He continues to consult with hospitals and other health care facilities to provide them with the most effective and comprehensive diversion programs possible. Rodrigo and his wife reside in Indiana where they continue to raise their four children.
Claudia Garcia MBA, RN, BSN, CADAC II, LAC
Claudia has been providing care to patients as a registered nurse, in multiple settings, for nearly 20 years. As a licensed addiction counselor working with impaired health care professionals and their families, she has also attained unique insight from the perspectives of the diverting impaired health care providers. This insight and information has proven invaluable as she continues to consult for, work with, and educate health care facilities on diversion identification, intervention, mitigation, and compliance. Claudia is the executive director of several state monitoring programs and is tasked with safeguarding the reentry, when appropriate, of health care providers afflicted with substance use disorder. Claudia continues her research work and collection of data on diversion and impairment while working with organizations to safeguard their institutions and the people they serve. Claudia, her husband, and their four college aged kids reside or go to school in the Midwest.
