CeDAR to open on the Fitzsimons campus Nov. 1
By Tonya Ewers
Office of Public Relations
The University of Colorado Hospital’s Center for Dependency, Addiction & Rehabilitation (CeDAR) officially opens to patients on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The University of Colorado Hospital will celebrate with an open house and tours for the public on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Located on the Fitzsimons campus, CeDAR is the only premier residential addiction treatment facility in the Rocky Mountain region. Unlike any other treatment center, CeDAR operates in collaboration with the Betty Ford Center, one of the most successful and well-known residential treatment facilities in the United States.
“ Our facility fills an important need in the region by providing a comprehensive residential treatment center for adults and their families,” said Franklin Lisnow, MEd, MAC, executive director of CeDAR. “Alcoholism and substance dependence can affect anyone – whether it’s a friend, family member or a friend of a friend, most of us know someone who has struggled to overcome an addiction and Colorado is no exception.”
CeDAR’s recovery process will include traditional 12-step meetings, group therapy, and individual counseling, as well as family sessions, self-reflection, psychiatric assessment and treatment, physical fitness and spirituality.
Typically, patients will stay at CeDAR for 30 days and, if needed, they may also receive psychiatric treatment for problems such as depression, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress. Additionally, any patients needing to stay longer than 30 days can stay in housing adjacent to CeDAR in the former Colonel’s Row buildings, while returning to their jobs and continuing with individualized, outpatient treatment.
The center’s 50-bed campus includes two residential treatment cottages, an assessment/detoxification building, a fitness and family center, a dining hall, a library, the Lori Wolf House (formally the General’s House), an administrative building, and a small store for patients.
“ Fortunately, addiction is a treatable disease,” said Robert J. Harmon, MD, CeDAR medical director and professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “Finding the right type of treatment depends on the severity of the addiction and available resources in the area – CeDAR will definitely fill a gap in the treatment options in this region for those looking for a high quality, residential treatment center.”
CeDAR is located on the Fitzsimons campus at the intersection of Quentin Street and East 17th Avenue. The CeDAR site once was a tree plantation, and many of the existing orchards and old-growth trees will be preserved in a nod to Fitzsimons’ historic landscape.
The $14 million CeDAR project will serve as University of Colorado Hospital’s main treatment center for patients confronting addiction and dependency struggles. The center will feature courtyards, ponds, paths and trails for exercise and meditation, and its secluded location will provide patient privacy and easy access to the Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine.
The center’s ambience was designed to provide a comforting, safe place for patients and their families to reflect on how drugs and alcohol have affected their lives. Within the halls of the new treatment facility, patients will receive comprehensive treatment that will enable them to recuperate in a nurturing environment.
For the most up-to-date details about the CeDAR opening celebration on Saturday, Oct. 29, please visit www.CeDARColorado.org.
