Prairie St. John's of Fargo Joins Hazelden Betty Ford's National Addiction Treatment Network

CENTER CITY, Minn. (April 22, 2022) – Prairie St. John's, an addiction treatment and psychiatric hospital in Fargo, is the newest collaborative member of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's national network of addiction treatment providers. "We offer several levels of substance use treatment in Fargo and are very excited to work with the national leaders at Hazelden Betty Ford," said Prairie St. John's CEO Jeff Herman. "This relationship reflects our commitment to continually improve the patient experience through collaboration and dedication to service excellence."

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. Headquartered in Minnesota, where it has five treatment sites, Hazelden Betty Ford established its Patient Care Network to bring together quality, ethical providers from across the country to share knowledge and best practices, extend the continuum of care, and improve quality and outcomes for patients.

The collaboration with Prairie St. John's will create new educational and resource-sharing opportunities and facilitate communication to help both organizations better serve their patients.

"Our shared mission—to provide quality, comprehensive, evidence-based care centered on the whole person—makes for a natural collaboration, and our varied experiences and expertise will allow us to learn from each other as well," said Bob Poznanovich, vice president of business development for Hazelden Betty Ford.

The collaboration comes at a critical time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), annual overdose deaths have been rising in the United States for more than 20 years and topped 100,000 for the first time in the 12 months ending in April 2021. The CDC also says excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioral health concerns have escalated. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says that in 2020, 22% of people age 12 and up engaged in binge drinking within the past month, and 21% used illicit drugs within the past year. Meanwhile, the CDC recently warned of a steep decline in teen mental health, and researchers at UCLA found that adolescent overdose deaths doubled in 2020 and rose an additional 20% in 2021, the biggest spikes ever.

"Collaboration is key to reaching more people with lifesaving health care and the hope of recovery," Poznanovich said. "Together with Prairie St. John's and other members, we will expand the reach of the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network and help even more individuals, families and communities find hope, healing and recovery from addiction and mental health concerns."

About Prairie St. John's

Founded in 1997, Prairie St. John's is a fully licensed and accredited 110-inpatient bed psychiatric hospital facility offering services for children, adolescents and adults to address mental health issues, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Prairie St. John's offers a full psychiatric and addiction continuum of care. This continuum of care includes inpatient hospitalization, Partial Hospitalization (day treatment), residential treatment, and intensive outpatient services.