Only two weeks into a ‘first-of-its-kind’ treatment, a nonprofit says it’s already helping with the opioid epidemic.

Metro-based RS EDEN said it’s now offering a ‘withdrawal management’ service not offered anywhere else in Minnesota, “and likely in the country.”

“The work has transformed and grown significantly as the community need has grown,” Caroline Hood, president and CEO of RS EDEN, said.

“One of them has been this need for withdrawal management, or what most people know, is detox beds,” Hood said. She adds they’ve added 16 of those ‘detox beds’ into their substance use treatment program.

“Which really ostensibly means we’ve opened a hospital within a program that was not a hospital previously,” Hood said.

By eliminating a barrier, Hood said they can help people avoid relapsing after they leave detox.

“After a few days, where you physically stabilize, we’re not saying, ‘Okay, good luck, I hope you go find treatment somewhere else.’ We’re saying, ‘We already have this relationship with you here, [so] stay. Now, let’s do the really deep, effective work,’” Hood said.

Their goal is to help save lives caught in the midst of the opioid crisis. Two weeks in, they’re already seeing the benefit, as Hood said they’ve started helping a few people already.

And due to Minnesota’s settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, funding for this unique work is already available — RS EDEN locked in more than $1 million earlier this year as part of that.

RELATED: State dashboard shows how opioid settlement funds are being used

For Brittany Still of Minneapolis, this new service gives her hope for more people and families seeking substance use treatment as RS EDEN has been supporting her for years — first connecting with the nonprofit in 2015 as she struggled with her own drug use.

“It’s such a joyful place to be around, because, you know, they say it takes a village,” Still said.

“When it catches wind that, you don’t have to suffer, you won’t be turned away, if you have the courage to go in, I think a lot more people are going be turned onto recovery just because of what RS EDEN is doing,” Still added.

Find out more about how RS EDEN can help you here.