{"id":3886,"date":"2023-10-24T09:22:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=3886"},"modified":"2023-10-24T09:26:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:26:04","slug":"nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-8\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\/","title":{"rendered":"Nurses\u2019 Luncheon offers help to nurses dealing with substance use disorders\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 24, 2023 —<\/em> Nursing has always been one of the largest professions in the world and is often viewed as one of the most important and rewarding.\u00a0 However, nursing can also be a very difficult and straining profession as well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chair
Chair of the Statewide Nurses Committee Amy Lee Pacholk and Committee Co-Chair Vincent Cicatello.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The PEF Statewide Nurses Committee held its annual luncheon on October 17 at Convention, presented by PEF Nurse Coordinator Nora Higgins, Chair of the Statewide Nurses Committee Amy Lee Pacholk and Committee Co-Chair Vincent Cicatello. The meeting was a chance for PEF nurses to get to know the committee members and other nurses serving as PEF delegates.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was also a chance to make sure nurses get the resources they need to help themselves in case of addiction.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The committee introduced Janet Price-Kurta and Rob Simpson from the Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN). SPAN\u2019s mission is to provide support, advocacy and education to nurses affected by substance use disorders.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SPAN knows that sometimes nurses need help, too, and offers advice and counsel to both nurses affected by alcohol or drug-related issues, and those that may be working with nurses who have a substance use disorder.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know in nursing, wellness is sometimes something we put on the back burner,\u201d said Simpson. \u201cWe\u2019re really good at taking care of others, but we\u2019re not good at taking care of ourselves.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simpson was formerly a PEF member who worked as a Nurse Administrator with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. He now works full-time at SPAN.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Simpson shared his own experience as a young nursing student given early access to alcohol.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was a typical teenager, and a typical nursing student. If we had good tests, you\u2019d go out and celebrate,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you had a bad test, you\u2019d go out and commiserate. There was a culture to say that we have to use alcohol and other substances to help us cope with life,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The journey for people like Simpson often comes with not only the stressors of the job, but the stress of life events. Thankfully, Simpson was eventually able to find stable employment at the Clinton Correctional Facility and credits PEF\u2019s union activities, with helping him manage his schedule and his substance use.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve it or not, for me at the time, working in corrections gave me more time off than I ever had before. I found that I loved PEF and all the things the union brought and did to help us as correctional nurses,\u201d Simpson said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simpson began a treatment program soon after beginning his employment at DOCCS and has not had a drink since 2005.\u00a0 A PEF union representative at the time recommended he attend a SPAN meeting and he\u2019s been involved with the organization in some capacity ever since.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSPAN really helped me identify with other nurses to say, \u2018we\u2019re in this together,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"StatewideNurses have a higher percentage of risk factors for developing substance use. About 15 to 20 percent of nurses have been or will be affected by substance use. SPAN\u2019s job is to identify nurses who are using and connect them as soon as possible to the help they need.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SPAN is 100 percent voluntary and nurses do not need to join to use their resources. The services are also free and confidential. They will work with government offices and management to make sure any nurse dealing with substance use disorder has the help they need.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SPAN also advocates for nurses referring other nurses when they believe there is a problem, but offers advice on how to approach those difficult conversations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you understand the policy at your agency,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cGoing to management is a good idea, they should know the policy and know how to connect with SPAN.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about SPAN, to find a support group, or to become a facilitator, visit <\/span>their website<\/span><\/a> or call (800) 457-7261.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

October 24, 2023 — Nursing has always been one of the largest professions in the world and is often viewed as one of the most important and rewarding.\u00a0 However, nursing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-3886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-41-no-8"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNurses\u2019 Luncheon offers help to nurses dealing with substance use disorders\u00a0 - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-8\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nurses\u2019 Luncheon offers help to nurses dealing with substance use disorders\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"October 24, 2023 — Nursing has always been one of the largest professions in the world and is often viewed as one of the most important and rewarding.\u00a0 However, nursing...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-8\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-24T13:22:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-24T13:26:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/Nurse-lunch-2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ccanham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0677b03b1fcdadfe00f4e905b97b90e4\"},\"headline\":\"Nurses\u2019 Luncheon offers help to nurses dealing with substance use disorders\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-24T13:22:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-24T13:26:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":680,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Nurse-lunch-2.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-8\\\/nurses-luncheon-offers-help-to-nurses-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\",\"name\":\"Nurses\u2019 Luncheon offers help to nurses dealing with substance use disorders\u00a0 - 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