In a recent article about three Butler County nurses becoming fellows in international addiction organization, one line jumped out to us:

“Every nurse is an addictions nurse, they just don't know it,” Shanea Clancy, president of Clancy Consulting Services, said.

“Addiction is everywhere,” she said, “anyone you are taking care of might be going through addiction; (a nurse) might be the one to plant the seed for that person.”

Clancy, Marne Bilanich, an addiction nurse at VA Butler Healthcare, and Rachel Shuster, an addiction specialist for Highmark Wholecare, became fellows in the International Academy of Addictions Nursing recently. A ceremony was held at a conference at the end of February in Charlotte, N.C.

In the article by Eddie Trizzino, published in the Wednesday edition of the Butler Eagle, Clancy detailed the rigorous process, where “not everybody gets it.”

Becoming a fellow comes with access to an international network of health care professionals, which Bilanich highlighted.

“There’s a lot of very smart people in this fellowship from all over the world,” Bilanich said.

In our coverage for the ongoing series Changing Pathways to Recovery, we reported there were 65 drug-related deaths last year, according to Butler County’s Chief Detective Tim Fennell. The count remained steady with the year previous, as 65 deaths were reported in 2022.

Nurses are among those who see addiction firsthand, among those who have a chance at getting someone headed towards recovery.

Like Clancy said, every nurse is an addictions nurse, whether they know it or not.

Thank you to all the nurses who help further recovery in Butler County.

— TL