Center City, Minn. and Bellevue, Wash. (April 24, 2019) – The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation will celebrate the opening of its 17th site—Hazelden Betty Ford in Bellevue, Wash.—with an open house and ribbon-cutting on Thursday, May 2.
"Our newest outpatient clinic in Bellevue is now treating patients, and we are excited to mark the occasion with a grand-opening event," said Heidi Wallace, executive director of Northwest Operations for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a national nonprofit leader in addiction education, prevention, treatment and recovery. "After eight months of preparations, we opened the doors on Monday and are ready to be a force of hope and healing for people throughout the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area."
The open house on May 2 will be held from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with speakers and recognitions beginning at 4 p.m. followed by a ribbon-cutting photo-op at approximately 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required online at HazeldenBettyFord.org/OpenHouse.
Mark Mishek, Hazelden Betty Ford's president and CEO, will emcee the formal portion of the event. Many state and local public officials are scheduled to attend. Among the scheduled speakers and attendees are:
- Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Board of Trustees Vice Chair Lester Munson
- David Anderson, director of Hazelden Betty Ford in Bellevue
- Bellevue Deputy Mayor Lynne Robinson and City Councilor Janice Zahn
- Washington state Sens. Patty Kuderer and Manka Dhingra, and state Rep. Amy Walen
- Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett
- Staff for Gov. Jay Inslee, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith
- Michael Langer, acting assistant director, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, Washington State Health Care Authority
- Chris Yadron, vice president of Hazelden Betty Ford's West Region and administrator of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
- Hazelden Betty Ford Chief Medical Officer Marvin D. Seppala, M.D.
"The community has been so welcoming, validating our decision to move into this thriving area," Wallace said. "We look forward to supporting and collaborating with partners and stakeholders throughout health care, business, social services and government."
Hazelden Betty Ford in Bellevue is a 15-minute-drive east of Seattle, with Lake Washington separating the two. The outpatient center will be part of the Overlake Medical Pavilion (1231 116th Ave NE), which is next door to Overlake Hospital.
The new site provides a full range of outpatient services for adults struggling with substance use, along with "Teen Intervene," a program that includes a comprehensive assessment and individual therapy for adolescents ages 13-17. Offerings include daily group-therapy sessions, opioid-specific support groups, individual counseling, mental health services, a DUI Deferred Prosecution Program, prescriptions for patients engaged in medication-assisted treatment, and a variety of ongoing recovery support options.
Hazelden Betty Ford in Bellevue will be an in-network option for the largest commercial health plans in the region, making the facility accessible to millions of people.
Dr. Seppala, Hazelden Betty Ford's chief medical officer, will speak in Bellevue May 29 at the 32nd Annual Northwest Conference on Behavioral and Addictive Disorders. He will share about Hazelden Betty Ford's innovative framework for treating opioid addiction. The Comprehensive Opioid Response with the Twelve Steps, or COR-12™, framework combines the use of medications, evidence-based clinical therapies and peer support to help people suffering from opioid use disorder not only stabilize but begin to transform their lives and get established in long-term recovery. It has become a model for programs throughout the country.
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2019, now has sites in nine states and—through its extensive education, prevention, research, advocacy and publishing resources—reaches all 50.