CAMC has joined the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network, a national collaborative aimed at strengthening and expanding access to quality services and resources for people and families affected by addiction.
“CAMC is excited to collaborate with Hazelden Betty Ford and be part of its growing network of addiction care providers so together, we can help more people,” said Shelda Martin, MD, associate chief medical officer, CAMC Ambulatory Services. “West Virginia and the nation now face two serious public-health crises: addiction and COVID-19, which makes the need to work together and learn from one another more important than ever.”
The nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is the leading national system-of-care committed to helping individuals, families and communities affected by addiction and mental health concerns. Its Patient Care Network brings together providers from across the country to share knowledge and best practices, extend the continuum of care, and improve quality and outcomes for patients.
“We are thrilled to welcome CAMC to our national Patient Care Network,” said Bob Poznanovich, Hazelden Betty Ford’s vice president of business development. “Not only will CAMC expand the network’s reach, it also will bring significant experience and expertise helping babies, moms and pregnant women who have been affected by substance use.”
CAMC’s “Women’s Health Addiction” and “Babies First” programs are supported by a perinatal clinic where women can get substance-use-disorder treatment throughout pregnancy, and a neonatal intensive-care unit that helps keep babies healthy and families together. As CAMC expands its behavioral health offerings further, Martin says the health system will leverage its membership in the Patient Care Network to help bolster medication-assisted treatment services for patients with opioid use disorder and establish therapeutic resources for young children whose families have been affected by addiction.
“We have always been focused on the entire family,” Martin said. “Our shared charge—to provide quality, comprehensive care centered on the whole person and their family—makes for a natural partnership.”
Headquartered in Minnesota, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has 17 sites across the country, robust telehealth services and extensive education, prevention, research, advocacy and publishing resources. The Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network launched in 2017.