It took a very brave woman to introduce drug rehabilitation to mainstream America. But Former First Lady Betty Ford has never been anything but honest about her struggles with breast cancer and substance abuse. In 1982, when Mrs.. Ford and Ambassador Leonard Firestone established the Betty Ford Center at Rancho Mirage, California, drug rehabilitation was spoken of only in whispers. By talking about her own recovery, Mrs. Ford single-highhandedly brought rehab out of the shadows and into the light.
The Betty Ford Center is a non-profit, residential hospital for inpatient, day, and outpatient rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction. The Center has seven different treatment programs ranging from 90-day inpatient treatment to follow-up care. There is also an outpatient program that allows the patient to live at home and attend the program from 5-9 pm daily. This program is primarily an aftercare program or for patients who have completed an inpatient stay, but need a “refresher” course for ongoing recovery.
No addiction happens just to the addict. The Center also has education and prevention programs for children and families who are not addicts, but live within addicted families.
Mrs. Ford was convinced that men and women react differently to addiction, so treatment is gender specific. Each patient is assigned a comprehensive team of specialists who remain constant throughout your treatment. An individual care is plan is developed for you and counselors, case manager, dietitian, fitness expert, psychologist, and physician follow you through the treatment period.
An important part of rehabilitation is aftercare – the way you maintain sobriety in the real world. The Betty Ford Center has an active alumni group that holds regular meetings throughout the United States and Canada to encourage a lifetime of healthy living.
The Betty Ford Center was the one first rehabilitation hospitals surrounded by luxury and exclusivity. The Center quickly became the rehabilitation site of choice for movie stars and rock musicians, and rehab became socially acceptable.
