ICN congratulates the International Nurses Society on Addictions on achieving specialist affiliate status

ICN recognises IntNSA’s excellence, expertise and commitment to the field of addictions and mental health and is pleased to announce that IntNSA has been successful in its application to become an ICN specialist affiliate.

IntNSA’s mission is to strive to advance excellence in nursing practice for the prevention and treatment of addictions and mental illness. It acts as a forum to enable nurses working in the field to enhance their knowledge and skills, and to be a resource for nurses in all areas of practice.

Specialist affiliate status gives organisations official recognition by ICN and enables them to be involved in ICN policy and project development, and to access ICN’s global communication channels.

ICN President Annette Kennedy said:

‘It is always wonderful to welcome specialist nursing organisations into the ICN’s sphere of influence. Having addiction specialist nurses contributing to ICN will bring benefits for nurses all around the world, and of course, being recognised by ICN will benefit IntNSA as well. It is crucial that nursing organisations collaborate and pool their resources and experience because only by working together can we ensure the progress of our profession and maximise the benefit to patients.’

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton said:

‘ICN looks forward to working with IntNSA in the fields of addictions and mental health. The many people around the world who face these challenges deserve to have access to the very best nursing care possible. For people to enjoy well-being, they need a balance of mental and physical health, and too often mental health is forgotten or relegated as a secondary factor because a broken leg is easier to treat and see than a mind in turmoil. ICN will collaborate whole-heartedly with IntNSA to help redress this imbalance.’

IntNSA President, Dr Katherine Fornili said:

‘Alcohol and drug use are major contributors to global disease burden. Nurses are singularly one of the most important professions in the health care and policy response framework for addressing substance related challenges. IntNSA is delighted to work with the ICN and other global leaders as we tackle these challenges, and to support nursing practice at local, regional and international levels.’

Watch IntNSA’s short video, ‘Addictions Nurses Save Lives’ here

Download the full press release here