Office of Public Relations – Newsroom
News Release
Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony
AURORA (Sept. 30, 2004) — The University of Colorado Hospital today planted a tree to signify the start of construction of The Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation (CeDAR). The center, unique to the Rocky Mountain region, will be a 50-bed residential evaluation and treatment facility for adults afflicted with chronic substance dependency and addiction.
CeDAR will be operated as part of the Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine at University of Colorado Hospital on the Fitzsimons campus and under the leadership of a medical director from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
"We look forward to the development of this state-of-the-art treatment and rehabilitation center," said Dennis Brimhall, president and CEO of University of Colorado Hospital. "Our patients will soon have access to the finest facilities and a comprehensive program for their care."
Scheduled for completion in fall 2005, the $14 million CeDAR project will serve as University of Colorado Hospital's main treatment center for patients with addiction and dependency issues. Housed on the west side of the Fitzsimons campus, in a picturesque wooded area with courtyards, ponds, paths and trails for exercise and meditation, its location is secluded enough to provide the right environment and privacy, yet close enough so patients can access other services available at the Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine. CeDAR will provide a more distinct, supportive environment for patients and their families, allowing time to reflect on how drugs and alcohol changed their lives, to change their old ways of behavior and to recuperate.
CeDAR is designed to feel like a "campus within a campus," with six buildings, ample common space and outdoor areas. There will be one 10-bed residential cottage and two 20-bed residential cottages; one main reception/support building that will feature a large meeting and dining hall; one large fitness and family program building, and the historic General's House building, which on the second floor will house offices, and on the first floor will feature a library available to CeDAR patients and visitors, as well as a small store for CeDAR guests to purchase toiletries, books and other items. Plans call to restore the exterior of the General's House, which has had numerous additions over the years, to its original appearance at the turn of the century, which resembles a wood farmhouse.
The CeDAR site was once a tree plantation and remnants of the orchards are present. To pay homage to the historical landscape, much of the existing orchards will be maintained and updated, and many of the existing trees will remain.
Construction and landscaping of CeDAR is made possible by a $10 million gift from The Anschutz Foundation. This gift is a continuation of significant and long-term support from The Anschutz Foundation to the University of Colorado Hospital. Additionally, long-time hospital supporters Mike and Susan Leprino contributed a gift of $1 million. To aid in the center's operation, the Daniels Fund in Denver also has donated $1 million.
Most recently, the Kenneth King Foundation gave $1 million to CeDAR in August to support the acquisition and renovation of historic housing structures located on a section of the Fitzsimons site known as Colonels Row, just north of the planned CeDAR development. The buildings, which currently comprise four duplex units, will be purchased from The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority. Once renovated, the buildings will serve as housing for patients in day treatment and for families of CeDAR patients.
CeDAR will have a strong collaboration with the UC Denver and Health Sciences Center for education and research. Medical students and residents will have the opportunity to serve on rotation and participate in seminars and summer institutes focused on the latest diagnostics and treatments in the area of addiction and dependency.
The Department of Psychiatry is one of seven centers nationally recognized for its research into the cause and effects of dependency, recently receiving a $4.2 million grant from the White House to establish a brain imaging center to study adolescent substance abuse.
University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's only academic tertiary care and referral center, and has been recognized as one of America's best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the hospital is part of the University of Colorado Denver campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uch.edu.
The University of Colorado Denver is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu.