Oklahoma State University Addiction Medicine Clinic Joins Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network

CENTER CITY, Minn., and TULSA, Okla. /PRNewswire/ -- The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation today welcomed the Oklahoma State University Addiction Medicine Clinic as the newest member of its expanding Patient Care Network.

The announcement coincided with a ribbon-cutting for the new clinic, attended Monday in Tulsa by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and Terri White, commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

"I believe we have some of the best minds in the nation here in Tulsa working to understand and treat brain diseases and behavioral health disorders," said Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of the OSU Center for Health Sciences and dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. "We are harnessing the creative energy of our faculty and staff to become the nation's leader in addiction medicine, pain management, behavioral health and virtual medicine. This clinic will transform the patient care we deliver through our OSU Medicine clinics and the education our medical students receive."

The clinic, which has been operating for several months, is part of OSU's Center for Health Sciences and employs the state's first certified academic addiction physicians. As a member of the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network, it will gain access to tools, resources and collaborative consultation for its leadership, staff, patients, families and communities - as well as shared learnings and insights from other network members.

"The OSU Addiction Medicine Clinic is a groundbreaking approach to treating those who suffer with addiction," said Attorney General Hunter, who chairs the Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse. "Through its comprehensive approaches to behavioral health, the OSU Center for Health Sciences continues to be a national leader in terms of research, education and treatment. In the highest regard, I commend Dr. Shrum and her colleagues at OSU for collaborating with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and opening this clinic, which will absolutely save many lives in the state of Oklahoma."

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation's leading nonprofit addiction treatment provider, launched its Patient Care Network - the first of its kind in the addiction treatment industry-- in the fall of 2017.

"As a center of excellence in our field, we are committed to sharing our comprehensive, evidence-based approach to confronting the opioid crisis, as well as other clinical best practices, in states like Oklahoma. Our own system benefits, too, from collaborating with other leading-edge health care providers like the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences," said Bob Poznanovich, Hazelden Betty Ford's vice president of business development. "We are grateful to welcome this like-minded, quality-oriented leader in medical education, patient care and research into our Patient Care Network."

The OSU Addiction Medicine Clinic is part of the OSU Center for Health Sciences' Center for Wellness & Recovery, an initiative to improve the lives of Oklahomans affected by pain and substance use disorders through treatment, education, research and policy. The Center for Wellness & Recovery is working collaboratively with primary care physicians and specialists in psychiatry, behavioral health and addiction medicine to provide the best treatment options and care for patients.

"As a member of the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network, we will have access to resources, best practices and effective treatment protocols that will be invaluable additions to the care we provide in our Addiction Medicine Clinic. These will aid our patients as they work toward a successful, long-term recovery," added Dr. Jason Beaman, chair of OSU Center for Health Sciences' Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the region's largest academic department dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders.

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. It is the nation's leading nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 17 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Washington, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care to help youth and adults reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children's program, and is the nation's leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery. Learn more at HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter@hazldnbettyford.

About Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences educates osteopathic physicians, scientists, allied health professionals and health care administrators for Oklahoma with an emphasis on serving rural and underserved Oklahoma. OSU-CHS offers graduate and professional degrees with over 1,000 students enrolled in academic programs in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Allied Health, the School of Health Care Administration, the School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Forensic Sciences. OSU Medicine operates a network of clinics in the Tulsa area offering a multitude of specialty services including cardiology, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry and women's health.

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SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation