National Addiction Treatment Network Connects Charleston Area Medical Center, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

CENTER CITY, Minn., and CHARLESTON, W.Va., Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Charleston Area Medical Center, southern West Virginia's leading healthcare provider and medical teaching facility, 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 that, together, we can help more people," said Shelda Martin, MD, FACP, AAHIVS, Associate Chief Medical Officer for 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 paramount 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 the highly respected Charleston Area Medical Center 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 but it will bring in significant experience and expertise helping babies, moms and pregnant women who have been affected by substance use."

CAMC's "Women's Health Addiction Program" 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, Morris 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, and Hazelden Betty Ford shares that commitment," said CAMC's Dr. Martin. "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. Recognized as a Center of Excellence by many insurance providers for its comprehensive approach to treating addiction to opioids, alcohol and other substances, Hazelden Betty Ford launched the Patient Care Network—the first of its kind in the addiction treatment industry—in 2017.

"It's appropriate that CAMC joined the Patient Care Network during September—National Recovery Month, a time every year when we celebrate the more than 20 million Americans who have overcome substance use problems and shine a light on the hope they represent," said Hazelden Betty Ford's Poznanovich. "By working together with a focus on evidence-based approaches that meet the complex needs of the people we serve, we will help make recovery a reality for even more people."

About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide and collaborates with an expansive network throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford. 

About Charleston Area Medical Center

Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) is the flagship of the CAMC Health System. CAMC is a nonprofit, 956-bed, regional referral center with nearly 8,000 employees. More than 700 physicians have admitting privileges at CAMC which is also West Virginia's premiere medical teaching facility, hosting, on any given day, more than 800 students in programs leading to degrees or certifications in health professions. CAMC's cancer program has been continuously accredited since 1947. CAMC is home to one of the top heart programs in the United States; the first kidney transplant center in the state; West Virginia's only free-standing Women and Children's Hospital; the highest level newborn intensive care unit, highest level pediatric intensive care unit and one of the busiest Level I Trauma Centers. CAMC Health System is a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, the first and only organization in West Virginia to ever receive the honor. The award, established by Congress, promotes quality awareness and is America's highest honor for innovation and performance excellence. For more information, visit camc.org.

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SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation