'I'm very enthused about the program. I'm so thankful that we have the Peer Recovery Specialists. It's been such a value add to our clinical teams,' says Nancy E. Holecek, RN, MHA, MAS, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, Northern Region at RWJBarnabas Health.

The national opioid epidemic has caused much turmoil for individuals, families, and communities. RWJBarnabas Health is trying to make an impact on the crisis through a program that gives nurses the autonomy to refer patients with substance use disorder to Peer Recovery Specialists. In this week's issue, the organization's chief nursing officer talks about the components of the growing program.

Also, in this issue:

Diffusing patient violence
Seeking solutions to alarm fatigue
The benefits of analytics

4 Key Components of a Successful Substance Use Disorder Recovery Program

Nurse autonomy and peer support for patients are some of the components of RWJBarnabas Health's substance use disorder recovery initiative.

Patient-Induced Trauma: Hospitals Learn To Defuse Violence

Scripps Mercy Hospital officials have made a number of changes to help protect employees from what they refer to as an epidemic of violence.

'I Feel Like I'm In Jail': Hospital Alarms Torment Patients

Nearly every machine in a hospital is now outfitted with an alarm. The glut of noise means that the medical staff is less likely to respond.

6 Unusual Healthcare Innovation Ideas We Heard in 2019

HealthLeaders talked to numerous innovation experts during this past year. Here are some of the more remarkable perspectives we heard.

Analytics ROI: It's Not Only About the Money

Gains from analytics are not only about capturing additional margin. Return on investment for analytics can also be about improving the quality of care, reducing costs, and improving efficiency.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this week's eNewsletter. I'm always open to any tips, thoughts, or advice. You can send them my way at jthew@healthleadersmedia.com or Tweet @jen_NurseEditor.

Jennifer Thew, RN
Senior Editor, Nursing