Nurse2Nurse Launches in NJ

In recognition of the unique role fellow nurses can play in supporting their peers, a confidential mental health help line—staffed by current and retired nurses—was launched Monday for nurses and their family members in New Jersey.

Called Nurse2Nurse, the help line—at 844-687-7301—is based at Rutgers Behavioral Health Services, which has decades of experience with a variety of other peer-to-peer support lines for police officers, veterans, caregivers, moms and others.

The call center is available to nurses and their family members from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The counselors include active and retired nurses who receive training in reciprocal peer support and wellness principles and are mental health and peer support specialists.

More than 200,000 nurses and others in New Jersey are eligible for the services, either via telephone or through virtual support groups, wellness webinars and other resources on the website nurse2nursenj.com, Rutgers estimates.

Information provided on the calls is confidential, the sponsors say. The website explains that the project is not affiliated with any health care system or nursing organization, and no information from the calls will be shared with employers, co-workers or peers. Nor will anything be reported to the state licensing board for nurses.

The help line is funded by the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund and the New Jersey Nursing Initiative, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the New Jersey Hospital Association.