Project TINES (Trauma-Informed Nursing Education on Substance Use) - Project Trauma-Informed Nursing Education for Substance Use (TINES) aims to improve substance use disorder (SUD) identification and treatment in rural health professional shortage areas across Delaware, southern New Jersey, and medically underserved communities in Philadelphia. The lack of culturally competent and evidence-based SUD treatment has contributed to rising illicit substance-related morbidity and mortality in these regions. By enhancing the education and training of future nurse practitioners, including women’s health providers, Project TINES seeks to increase access to SUD treatment, recognizing that many patients rely on nurse practitioners in primary care and mental health settings for SUD care delivery. Project TINES will achieve its objectives by expanding and enhancing didactic and clinical education, ensuring that graduates are equipped to identify, assess, intervene, and treat patients with substance use issues while supporting long-term recovery. Project TINES activities will be conducted in collaboration with the community of those with lived substance use experience through the use of a community advisory board, comprised of individuals in active OUD recovery, integrated into our Steering Committee, and a peer recovery specialist as key personnel. The primary goals of TINES are to: 1) develop a Trauma-Informed Substance Use Disorder (TI-SUD) Core Curriculum, increase the number of clinical sites for nurse practitioner student training, enhance clinical site capacity, and support health systems and agencies providing SUD treatment. Project TINES will provide the necessary education, training, and technical assistance to affiliated clinical sites to support ongoing student education within and beyond the project scope.
