20th September 2010: Video Guidance designs a  Video Communications System for Hazelden, a U.S. nonprofit organization that helps people nationwide to reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction

16 September 2010.  Hazelden is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1949, helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. Built on decades of knowledge and experience, Hazelden offers a comprehensive approach to addiction that addresses the full range of patient, family, and professional needs, including treatment and continuing care for youth and adults, research, higher education, public education and advocacy, and publishing. It currently has facilities in Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York and Florida.

Video Guidance based in Bloomington, Minn. has designed a state-of-the-art visual communications system for Hazelden, the nation's largest private, non-profit addiction treatment provider. The new program will provide enhanced, internal video conferencing integration, connecting Hazelden Foundation’s national facilities in Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois and Florida.

 Rich Friedeman, Hazelden Foundation’s corporate director of IT, said: “We are very excited about this new system, which will greatly enhance our communications between all our facilities throughout the country, while saving considerable amounts of money and time.”

“ What is equally important is that Video Guidance has created a technical platform for visual communications that over time will provide limitless applications ranging from online education and distance learning, to continuing recovery programs and direct delivery of patient care.”

Friedeman says one of Hazelden’s priorities is to connect counselors to patients after they have completed their primary residential treatment program. The center currently has a unique Web-based continuing care program called MORE™ (My Ongoing Recovery Experience), which connects patients with the tools, support, and fellowship needed to build their new lives in recovery.

Video Guidance has also outfitted a new classroom for Hazelden’s Graduate School of Addiction Studies. Offering a Masters of Arts degree and a certificate in addiction counseling, the accredited program integrates theory, science and clinical practice to prepare counselors who are well-equipped to address the complexities of addiction.

“As the myriad of issues surrounding treatment and recovery become more demanding, sophisticated academic and clinical preparation of counselors is essential,” said Valerie Slaymaker, chief academic officer and provost at the Graduate School.

Slaymaker continued: “The new state-of-the-art technology Video Guidance has installed for us not only enhances our current learning environment, it positions us to expand into online educational environments in the future,”

Video Guidance is the leading visual communications company in the Upper Midwest, providing video conferencing, telepresence and audio visual technologies and services. Video Guidance is an award-winning partner of Tandberg, which was recently acquired by Cisco. The company has been among the “Top 100” of the fastest growing regional companies in Minnesota and Wisconsin.