As a clinical nurse in Virginia Beach, I see first-hand the impact of our nation's opioid epidemic. It is stretching hospital resources and handicapping hospital staff across the United States, with many emergency nurses treating life-threatening overdoses every day. That is why the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) supported the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA) and the shift it represents in patient care.
Instead of relying primarily on punishment to deter opioid abuse, CARA provides additional tools to treat patients struggling with addiction and changes prescribing practices to prevent addiction from ever taking hold.
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