School of Nursing Receives Funding to Help Idahoans Treat Opioid Addiction

Starting in 2024 and going through to 2027, an initiative within ISU's School of Nursing will help the entire state of Idaho and its population of rural areas that have health professional shortages especially as it pertains to behavioral health and substance use disorders. A grant of $900,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) was awarded to span the three years of this initiative.

According to the application provided by Dr. Michelle Anderson, she noted that “Idaho experienced 381 drug overdose deaths in 2022. Idaho’s suicide rate is the fifth highest nationwide and the entire state is considered a mental health shortage area.”

Unfortunately, with the high level of suicides and overdoses, combined with the state's existing providers only making up 25% of the current need, the state in in prime need for additional mental health care providers. 

Idaho State University is taking on the challenge the state faces by educating students early in their professional coursework and believes this will increase confidence and decrease stigma associated with treating patients with substance use disorder (SUD). An interdisciplinary cohort of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (nurse practitioner), Public Health, and Counseling students will observe and engage with SUD community experts to learn foundational best practice protocols and methods for SUD assessment and treatment.  Interventions include implementation of the SAMHSA 12 SUD modules, interdisciplinary work among the healthcare students, synchronous and asynchronous work with our students, community partners and subject matter experts. 

Further interventions include creation of a Community Advisory Committee for ongoing and real time feedback to allow for appropriate content and activity adjustment. Equally important will be implementation of direct clinical observation time for students within the community organizations, especially those that treat rural and culturally diverse populations, allowing for direct learning of curricular content. 

Project goals include:       

Training students early in their academic careers 

• Provide evidence-based substance use prevention training 
• Demonstrate increased confidence levels (assess, diagnose, treat)      

Teach students that SUD is like any chronic disease, thereby reducing stigma/discrimination 

• Teach Motivational interviewing 
• Complete 3 interdisciplinary activities and clinical observation      

Increase access to SUD screening, assessment, and services 

• Provide SUD assessment and treatment CE/CME opportunities 
• Establish a sustainability plan so that the SUD curriculum becomes permanent 
• Recruit additional community clinic sites 

It is expected that 106 students will complete the curriculum in the first year, with 52 students in subsequent years for a total of 210 students over the three-year project timeline. The number of students may increase due to establishing partnerships with the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Idaho State University Family Medicine Residency and the addition of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesia students beginning in year two. Trained health professionals will have a profound impact on SUD treatment in Idaho and the United States.

Approximately 210 (178 DNP) students in DNP, Counseling, and Graduate Addiction Studies Certificate over the course of 3 years. All students in these programs will receive training, but we will also have a residency for those who are interested enough to apply. There will be financial incentives for students participating in the residency.

The DNP students will have an additional 16 dedicated observation hours with our partnering clinics that treat SUD patients inIdaho and Wyoming’s rural/underserved areas. Our partners are committed to providing observation sites that address areas of patient need, especially diversity, to help improve students’ cultural competency. This rotation ensures students can observe practice and integrate the curriculum into real-life situations and, at a minimum, allows them to shadow professionals providing evidence-based treatment. Counseling students will receive SUD specialized training alongside supervised clinical placement in SUD treatment clinics in Idaho,making them eligible to become a certified MAC through NBCC. This training and clinical experience will continue through year three.