COVID-19 Testing Keeps the Focus on Treatment and Recovery

Making the transformative decision to seek addiction treatment and launch a new life in recovery is never easy. During a pandemic, normal fears and uncertainty are heightened even more. Some may wonder: is now the best time? At the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, we believe now is always the right time to get help for the life-threatening disease of addiction.

Lifesaving care continues at our residential sites nationwide, and new patients are admitted every day. That’s why, in this unique time, we are doing everything imaginable to minimize risks for our patients and staff.

Most recently, we elevated safeguards by starting to test new patients for COVID-19 before they even begin residential treatment programming. We are now testing at sites throughout the country. In the first few weeks of testing, more than 99% of those seeking our care tested negative and were therefore able to begin programming right away. For the very small number of others, we provided virtual service options, advised them on self-quarantining and seeking appropriate medical care if symptoms emerge, and discussed their plan to return to programming once they are virus-free.

“For both patients and our staff, there is more peace of mind knowing that new people coming in have tested negative,” said Chief Medical Officer Marvin D. Seppala, MD. “None of the tests on the market right now can provide guarantees, but the nasopharyngeal test we are using to detect the virus itself has proven far more reliable, effective and useful than other tests, and it provides a substantial new layer of protection for everyone at our sites."

Expanding Virtual Services

Thanks to a major extension of our RecoveryGo telehealth solutions, we are able to meet patients wherever they are at. Our virtual outpatient addiction treatment, mental health, family program and recovery services now allow millions more people to access our care.

Our insurance-eligible outpatient addiction treatment and mental health services are currently offered throughout California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Virtual group and individual therapy connects patients and their care provider in real-time via personal computers and mobile devices in the comfort of their homes.

Virtual family program now available nationwide

Hazelden Betty Ford now offers a new education and support program for families—accessible from their home at no cost.

If your patients and clients are in need of inpatient, virtual outpatient addiction treatment, mental health or family programming, please reach out to us to learn more. Visit our website or call a patient access coordinator at 1‑800‑257‑7800.

New Research Available—Learn more about the effectiveness of telehealth for addiction treatment and recovery in the latest Research Update from the Butler Center for Research.

Free Online Resources

Let's Talk Webinars

June 10 | 1:30 p.m. Central

How to Help Families Struggling with Teen Substance Use
Presenter: Kate Roselle, MA, MBA, LPCC, Youth Outreach Manager

When a young person develops a substance use problem, parents and other family members looking to cope sometimes adopt unhealthy behaviors themselves such as keeping secrets or finding scapegoats. Join counselor Roselle to examine how to help the families you serve when adolescent substance use is in the picture. She will share important insights and practical strategies for working with families, especially when they begin to engage with in-person or virtual treatment services.

Online Support Meetings, Family Resources, Apps and More

Check out all of the free support resources to help keep your patients’ and clients’ recovery strong.

Podcasts

Let’s Talk Addiction and Recovery: An award-winning podcast series hosted by William C. Moyers

Check out our new episode Precision Treatment: Addiction Medicine Gets Personal, featuring Chief Medical Officer Marvin D. Seppala, MD to learn how technology, genetics and predictive analytics can be used to help shape an individual's addiction treatment course, from specific medicines to therapeutic approaches.

24/7 Access to Help

Our Referent Relations team is available to support you and your patients and clients—now amid the pandemic and always.

To reach a member of the team and start an admission, call 1-855-348-7018 or email us at [email protected]. Additional resources include the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Thank you for your commitment and compassion to the individuals and families that need our collective help now more than ever.