“…According to the 2020 Review of Licensure Survey ( Smiley et al, 2021 ), 78% (45) of states ask about SUD on initial licensure for registered and practical nurses, 64% (37) ask about MH diagnoses, and 21 states limit licenses based on psychological impairments. Monitoring programs that use individual assessments of nurses’ rehabilitative needs, including data on workplace conditions contributing to illness, are recommended to determine non-punitive courses of action for nurses with substance use disorders ( Ross, 2021 ). While further research is sorely needed, risks to mental health undermine justice and equity principles, and enhance the cycle of alcohol, drug use, risk taking behaviors, reduced livelihood, and potentials for increased self- and other-directed violence ( WHO, 2022a ; 2022b ).…”