In the SAMHSA-HRSA monthly e-news, Gail Stuart, PhD, RN and president of the Annapolis Coalition’s Board of Directors, makes the case for why registered nurses have the potential to become the cornerstone of integrated care. Stuart believes integration could be moved into action mode if nurses—the nation’s largest group of healthcare providers at 3.1 million—possesed the skills needed to recognize, assess, briefly treat, and appropriately refer patients with mental health and substance use problems. She suggested the following training options for registered nurses:
- Boot camps focused on essential skills for integrated care
- Online modules that can provide “anytime, anywhere” learning
- Focused sessions that master the use of telehealth and other mobile technologies to reach people in rural and underserved communities
- New type of graduate program in integrated care
More information can be found here.