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The pandemic took a heavy toll on frontline healthcare workers, especially nurses, prompting our team to look into whether states would be prepared to handle a potential influx of nurses needing help with substance use disorders.
Our reporting led us to alternative-to-discipline programs, which are charged with getting nurses back on the job while protecting patient safety.
Over the past two decades, these programs have become the standard in nurse rehabilitation -- but our series found that they are vastly underused.
Reporter Cheryl Clark tracked down enrollment data from 14 states that oversee the licenses of 66% of all U.S. nurses. Frequently, states were hesitant to share these data. When they did share, Clark frequently found herself trying to determine whether the numbers were annual new enrollment or annual overall enrollment totals. Some states also mixed in nurses who came to the program via a disciplinary pathway.