Effective July 1, 2020, Aquifer Addiction is known as CARE (Course on Addiction and Recovery Education) and is distributed by Aquifer on behalf of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation (HBFF) and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.   

As of September 16, CARE is now hosted on the updated NYU Grossman School of Medicine learning platform (along with WISE-MD and WISE-OnCall). 

No, the course content will stay the same. Currently, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is planning to develop 6 additional cases to add to the course in the future.

Here is a preview of the CARE user experience in the new NYU learning platform:

CARE will still be distributed by Aquifer, and the price for the 2021 subscription year will remain unchanged from the 2020 subscription year. Please contact your Aquifer Relationship Manager with subscription questions.

Faculty and students will continue to sign in to their Aquifer account to access CARE.

From July 1 to September 16: CARE (formerly Aquifer Addiction) will appear in your course list on your Aquifer course page. All faculty and students should access cases through this course.

After September 16: From the Aqueduct “Courses” landing page, users will click on a new blue “CARE” button at the top of the page to connect to the NYU learning platform, where they will be able to access CARE course content.

Students rostered to Aqueduct will continue to have automatic access to CARE along with their other Aquifer courses. No change in rostering will be required.

Aquifer Addiction cases completed in Aqueduct will not be available in Aquifer reporting as of September 16. Please be sure to download student progress reports you wish to save for Aquifer Addiction prior to September 15, 2020. Please contact your Aquifer Relationship Manager with any questions.

The new NYU Grossman School of Medicine learning platform will provide student progress reporting for course work completed in the new platform, but work in Aquifer Addiction cases that students have previously completed in Aqueduct will not transfer to the NYU learning platform. Student work previously completed will not be visible in new reports, and students who wish to review previously completed work will have to click through the content again.

From July 1 to September 16, we do not recommend including CARE cases in custom courses. Please be advised that this feature–and those listed below– will not be available once CARE transitions to the NYU platform. All cases can be accessed directly from the “CARE (formerly Aquifer Addiction)” course on your Courses page.

As of September 16, CARE cases will no longer be:

  • Included in Aquifer custom courses. If an Aquifer Addiction case is currently included in a custom course, that case will disappear from the custom course and the reporting for that custom course after September 16. 
  • Available and searchable through the Aquifer Case Library.
  • Available via Aquifer’s iOS and Android mobile apps. 

The Aquifer Addiction course was originally developed under the Course on Addiction Recovery (CARE) brand by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in collaboration with Treatment Research Institute (TRI),  the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and Aquifer (formerly known as MedU) to encourage more participation in Addiction education.  

When MedU changed its name to Aquifer in 2018, the CARE course became Aquifer Addiction and was adapted to be available on Aqueduct, Aquifer’s new teaching and learning platform.  

Unlike other Aquifer signature courses, the Aquifer Addiction course is maintained by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and not currently supported and updated by the Aquifer Consortium of Medical Educators. Returning the course to its original CARE brand helps us to better align to Aquifer’s brand promise that all our signature courses are maintained and updated by our consortium of medical educators. 

Moving CARE to the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s learning platform aligns it with WISE-MD and WISE-OnCall, the other courses Aquifer distributes on behalf of partners, and allows Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to advance the course content and mission independently.  Currently, HBFF is planning to develop 6 additional cases to add to the course.


Who should I contact with questions?

NYU will be responsible for course functionality and reporting maintenance and support. Please contact the NYU support team with questions.

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation will now be responsible for maintaining course content.

Aquifer will continue to manage subscriptions and course access for your program. Please contact your Aquifer Relationship Manager with questions about subscriptions, or Aquifer support for access issues.


We are committed to supporting you and your learners through this transition to the new course system and learning platform. If you have questions about the transition, please contact your Aquifer Relationship Manager.