The Addiction Alliance of Georgia (AAG), a partnership between Emory Healthcare and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, has opened a new 7,000-square-foot Adolescent Outpatient Program at the Emory Addiction Center in Atlanta. The initiative aims to improve access to substance use prevention, early intervention, and treatment services for young people and their families throughout Georgia.
This expansion is supported by $2.5 million in donations from philanthropic organizations and a $4.4 million grant from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. The grant comes from Georgia’s share of the 2022 national opioid settlement with pharmaceutical companies. The funding will provide treatment scholarships for adolescents who are uninsured or underinsured, expand family support services, and fund research to evaluate and enhance program effectiveness while increasing treatment capacity.
The new facility was made possible through contributions from The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation. It is specifically designed for adolescents and their families, addressing the need for early intervention since substance use disorders often begin during adolescence.
The program’s opening also strengthens coordination with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Emergency departments at Children’s Healthcare now use the CRAFFT screening tool—a validated six-question instrument—to identify adolescents at higher risk for substance use. A streamlined referral process allows these patients to be connected quickly to specialized outpatient care at the Emory Addiction Center/AAG, even though both organizations operate on different electronic medical record systems. Family members referred through Children’s Healthcare also gain immediate access to Hazelden Betty Ford’s Family Program services, regardless of whether the adolescent is admitted through AAG.
“Early identification and rapid connection to treatment can change the trajectory of a young person’s life,” said Justine Welsh, MD, medical director of the Addiction Alliance of Georgia. “This program allows us to intervene earlier and deliver evidence-based care at a pivotal moment for adolescents and families.”
“We know that when families are engaged in care, outcomes improve,” said Danielle Kretman, executive director of strategic program implementation and partnerships at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “This expansion gives adolescents and their parents access to evidence-based treatment and family support at the same time, strengthening the foundation of long-term recovery.”
The adolescent program is one part of AAG’s broader efforts to use opioid settlement funds to expand treatment options, improve early detection, and lower financial barriers for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders across its programs.
For more information about available services or scheduling an appointment, visit the Addiction Alliance of Georgia website or call 1-800-434-7495.
About Addiction Alliance of Georgia: The organization is a joint effort between Emory Healthcare and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation focused on advancing addiction treatment, education, and research with an emphasis on compassionate, evidence-based care.
About Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: As a nonprofit provider offering inpatient and outpatient addiction care nationwide since 1949—including founding the Betty Ford Center in 1982—the foundation provides various programs such as professional education initiatives, prevention resources for schools, research centers on addiction studies, publishing activities, advocacy work in recovery communities, telehealth services nationwide, as well as specialized support for children impacted by addiction in their families.
