Virtual Addiction Treatment and Recovery Support Through Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

The stress and uncertainty of the COVID19 pandemic can make it hard for people in addiction recovery to maintain their sobriety. The losses associated with layoffs, school closings and stay-at-home orders also may reveal previously unidentified problems with substance use. At the same time, the need for social distancing can increase people’s reluctance to seek or accept in-person treatment or support. With all of those things in mind, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation (HBFF) has seized this opportunity to accelerate and expand their offerings of virtual addiction treatment and recovery services through RecoveryGo. Including both a Virtual Intensive Outpatient program and Day Treatment, virtual addiction treatment offers the same professional staff, curricula, amount of care, fellowship, accountability and safety checks as in-person treatment. Preliminary evaluations show virtual treatment to be as effective and to have higher patient satisfaction and lower drop-out rates than in-person treatment.   In addition to treatment programs, there are many options for ongoing virtual support and free online resources to help people sustain recovery. And for families who have a loved one struggling with addiction, HBFF offers a Virtual Family Program, Children’s Program, and Virtual Mental Health Services.   Janelle Wesloh, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, Innovation and Recovery Management at HBFF, brings more than 25 years of experience in the addiction treatment field to this energetic discussion with Mom Enough co-hosts Marti & Erin. Recognizing how the current public health crisis has highlighted the need for virtual services in the field of addiction, Janelle also sees how valuable these services will be beyond the pandemic. As Marti & Erin note, their own respective work with mothers dealing with substance abuse has made them acutely aware of how valuable it could be for a parent with an infant or young child to be able to get virtual treatment and/or recovery support, as long as measures are in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child. Tune in to learn about the innovative options available at Hazelden Betty Ford.   WHAT DO YOU SEE AS ADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL ADDICTION TREATMENT? Which of the virtual services or online resources that Janelle Wesloh discussed caught your attention? Who in your own family or among your friends and colleagues would benefit from knowing about some of these services? And how could you initiate a sensitive and respectful conversation about the availability of these online options?   WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDICTION? ❉ WOMEN, ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH. Dr. Sarah Wicks, a clinical psychologist at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, joins Marti & Erin in this Mom Enough episode to discuss unique challenges faced by women dealing w...