The Duluth Bethel has begun conducting screenings for substance abuse disorder using telehealth technology.
Telehealth allows treatment clients and prospective clients to discuss their health and substance abuse histories with counselors and health professionals remotely via computer and phone. A $10,640 grant from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation allowed the Bethel to purchase the technology.
The grant was among $1.1 million that the Community Foundation provided earlier this year to help Northland nonprofits continue and enhance operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
The need for substance-abuse treatment services does not stop in a pandemic, Bethel Executive Director Dennis Cummings said. In fact, the stresses caused by COVID-19 including people being socially distanced from their support networks and dealing with or worrying about job loss can increase risks for substance abuse and the need for treatment.
He added: As troubling and difficult as COVID-19 has been, this grant will help us move aggressively into telehealth services at the Bethel, which we have wanted to do for some time. We appreciate the grant from the Community Foundation and the support of all funding partners to help Northland nonprofits during this difficult period.
Holly C. Sampson, president and CEO of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, said nonprofits such as the Bethel never stopped helping people during the pandemic. She said they deserve funding assistance for their work.
These nonprofits took quick action to ensure that people in our region got the help they needed, she said. Unfortunately, the cost of doing the right thing threatened to do serious damage to these organizations budgets. That is where our generous donors stepped in. We thank them for their help, but we will continue to need their assistance, as the impacts of COVID-19 are likely to be with us for some time.
In all, grants were provided to nonprofits from Grand Marais and the Iron Range to Carlton and Ashland, with many in the Twin Ports. Funds were raised through the COVID-19 Northeast Minnesota Response Fund and the COVID-19 Northwest Wisconsin Response Fund, as well as through other funds of the grant-making partners.
The partners coordinated grant making and other efforts. In addition to the Community Foundation, they are: the Head of the Lakes United Way, the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation, the Northland Foundation and the Ordean Foundation.