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Mental Health Care should be available, approachable, and affordable.

There are an estimated 52.9 million adults (21.0% of the adult population) suffering 
from mental health disorders (MHDs) in the United States (1). Among those with 
mental health disorders,~ 17 million are also diagnosed with a cooccurring …

"All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of
the others." The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
In my view, this quote captures the drive to achieve
equity in mental health care. All people have worth, and
every person's worth adds to the worth of every other per-
son. Our psychiatric-mental health nursing care is driven
by this absolute belief that all people are of equal worth,
of equal value.

Trauma exposure is prevalent in the general population, but healthcare workers may be at greater risks for additional work-related trauma. Trauma is a known risk factor for substance use, particularly tobacco and risky alcohol use. Few studies have examined the relationship between trauma and substance use in healthcare workers. Among healthcare workers, the aims of our study were to examine (a) frequency of current tobacco use and risky alcohol use, (b) frequency and types of traumatic experiences, and (c) the associations between trauma experiences and current tobacco and risky alcohol use controlling for demographic factors. This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data from healthcare workers (N = 850) in an academic medical center. 

In December 2021, my wife and I took a brief week-long
trip to a beautiful coastal city in the Southeast United
States. On the last day, while returning from the beach, I
noticed a patrol car trailing behind me. Approaching the
street of my accommodation, I turned on my left-turn sig-
nal and eased into the turning lane. The patrol car fol-
lowed.

We examined demographic, work-related, and behavioral factors associated with witnessing and/or experiencing workplace violence among healthcare workers.

Mental health is foundational to whole health! (American
Psychiatric Nurses Association [APNA], 2020;
McLoughin, 2016). Without such a key perspective, we
are disadvantaged in our efforts to prevent mental health
disorders and support recovery while navigating the com-
plex social determinants of health affecting our patients,
their families, their communities, and even our own
workforce.

People with mental illnesses (MI) smoke at higher rates than the general population. However, few mental health providers (MHPs) deliver tobacco treatment to patients with MI especially within inpatient psychiatric settings. According to evidence, fewer than half of MHPs in the US mental and behavioral health settings provide the recommended evidence-based tobacco treatment interventions to their clients with MI. This paper uses the theory of planned behavior to examine factors associated with provider intentions to deliver and their experiences in providing evidence-based tobacco treatment to clients with MI. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 219 providers in a state psychiatric hospital in Kentucky. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were associated with providers’ intentions to deliver tobacco treatment when controlling for demographic and work-related variables. However, only profession, subjective norms, and attitudes were associated with reported provision of evidence-based tobacco treatment. Given the underuse of routine tobacco treatment for this vulnerable population, understanding factors influencing provider delivery of tobacco treatment is needed to guide strategies for reducing the disproportionate rates of tobacco use and related burden among people with MI.