Report spotlights nursing’s potential to address SUDs

A new report commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says the nursing profession has a consequential opportunity to address substance use disorders (SUDs) and other diseases of despair. “The nursing profession could contribute significantly to addressing this crisis if it embraces its historic role at the intersection of medicine and society,” the report argues. As a profession that approaches health holistically, nursing is well positioned to address the social determinants of health, says Patricia Pittman, PhD, the author of the report and co-director of the George Washington University Health Workforce Institute. The report highlights nurse-led programs aiming to address contemporary health challenges that cannot be solved by medical care alone. (Nurse.com story, 5/15/19)