5 Year Partnership with ASU Nursing Students Expanding Treatment Options Amid COVID-19

Scottsdale, AZ (October 13, 2020) – The Hope House, a residential addiction treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona, has partnered with ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation to provide expanded treatment options for their clients during the Covid pandemic.

The clinical collaboration begins with two ASU doctoral nursing students working directly with The Hope House clients, providing mindfulness, physical exercise, and healthy lifestyle education sessions three times a week. The program will consist of three, three-week sessions (for a total of nine weeks) to ensure all clients can participate.

“We believe in giving our clients as many tools as possible and mindfulness practices and exercise routines are just two of those tools,” said Alex Spritzer, nurse practitioner of The Hope House.

The care is provided by Hayley Avino, RN, and Courtney Routson, RN, as part of their DNP graduation requirements. The doctoral nursing students have entitled their program: The DREAMER Project: Defying Relapse through Exercise and Mindfulness to Extend Recovery.

“My brother struggled with addiction for years, but discovered a community fitness program that reinforced his ability to attain and continue his recovery through exercise,” said Avino. “Therefore I want to establish an academic foundation that supports the positive impacts group exercise has on sobriety.”

The DREAMER Project expands on the holistic treatment options provided by The Hope House, enabling clients to more fully recover from their addictions, while also preparing the Arizona nurses for addiction treatment and care.

Due to Covid-19, each three-week session, originally to be administered in-person, is being conducted virtually with the first client-sessions just concluding. Statistically, clients in recovery who regularly utilize exercise and mindfulness practices are shown to significantly decrease their risk of relapse.

The initial partnership between ASU and The Hope House is planned for five years. Each semester new students will create or expand upon programs within The Hope House’s treatment options.

“Future students may develop programs on nutrition, aftercare, or even something as cutting-edge as virtual reality treatment,” said Spritzer.

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