In-Person and Virtual Services
About the Betty Ford Center
At the Forefront of Treatment
Here at the Betty Ford Center, we have one goal in mind for you and your family—to provide the expert addiction and mental health care you need and deserve. This was the healing mission of First Lady and addiction recovery trailblazer, Betty Ford, who co-founded our world-renown drug and alcohol treatment center in California in 1982.
Now part of the nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford treatment centers—ranked #1 nationally by Newsweek—the Betty Ford Center specializes in comprehensive addiction rehab, integrated care for co-occurring mental health conditions, recovery support and coaching, and parallel services for family members.
Do you offer services for families?
Addiction can severely harm our relationships—especially the relationships that matter most. That's why our uniquely designed family programs, support groups and counseling services provide education and support to everyone in the family.
Many of our family offerings are free, and most are available virtually so you and your family can access help and support from anywhere in California.
Some of the services we offer to families:
- Family workshop (education and support)
- Children's education and support program
- Phone and web-based family coaching
- Spanish-language family session
- Native American family session
- Weekly family support groups
- Healthy relationship series
- Individual, couples and family therapy
- Mental health assessments
Families don't "cause" addiction issues or other mental health conditions, but all family members, including siblings, can be a big part of the solution. Learn more about help available for your family.
Do I even need treatment?
Are the consequences of substance use catching up with you? Hurting your relationships? Causing negative situations? Impacting your physical health?
Learn about the most common signs and symptoms that you (or someone you love) could be at risk of developing alcohol or other drug addiction. And learn how the Betty Ford Center's care navigators can expertly assess your situation and determine the most helpful next steps for you today.
What's involved in detox?
Withdrawal from alcohol, opioids or other drugs is typically the first stage in treatment for a substance use disorder. Detox refers to the process of safely and comfortably flushing those substances from your body.
Withdrawal can be unpredictable and complex—depending on your specific use history, general health and other factors. That's why detox care at the Betty Ford Center is provided by highly trained medical staff who know how to safely and comfortably monitor, manage and ease withdrawal symptoms and relieve cravings.
Why are opioids so addictive?
Whether unregulated, prescription or illicit, all opioids have serious potential for misuse and addiction. There are complex physical and psychological processes involved, and dependence on opioids can be so incremental that it's not recognized as addiction until you're in crisis.
The strength of heroin, fentanyl and other unregulated or illicit opioids can unpredictable because other substances are sometimes added to increase volume or enhance potency. Learn about the symptoms of opioid addiction and the most-effective treatment approaches. At the Betty Ford Center, our specialized treatment for opioid use disorder is designed to ease the discomfort of withdrawal, reduce cravings, and help you engage successfully in treatment.
Does telehealth work for addiction treatment?
Thanks to advances in virtual healthcare technologies, the Betty Ford Center's outpatient addiction treatment programs and mental health services are more accessible than ever. For many of our patients, online addiction treatment options have resulted in better participation rates because the need to travel is eliminated—making regular attendance more convenient and likely. Virtual sessions are an ideal option if you have mobility/accessibility challenges or if you're not located near our Rancho Mirage campus.
Learn more about how our online addiction treatment programs incorporate the same evidence-based practices as our in-person services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Here
To hold your reservation, we request confirmation and travel details 24 hours prior to your admission.
We suggest purchasing an open-ended airline ticket that permits date changes in the event you decide to extend your stay. Palm Springs International airport is the closest airport to Betty Ford Center (approximately 10 miles).
Lodging
Select hotels on this list offer discounted rates to visitors of the Betty Ford Center. Please be sure to mention that you will be visiting the Betty Ford Center in order to secure your special rate.
- Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, 1-760-568-2727, 2.2 miles
- Hilton Garden Inn, 1-760-776-9700, 3 miles
- JW Marriott Resort & Spa, 1-760-341-2211,4.1 miles
- Courtyard Marriott, 1-760-776-4150, 4.4 miles
- Homewood Suites, 1-760-568-1600, 4.5 miles
- Residence Inn by Marriott, 1-760-776-0050,4.5 miles
- Embassy Suites Hotel, 1-760-340-6600, 5.9 miles
- Holiday Inn Express Palm Desert, 1-760-340-4303, 5.9 miles
- Renaissance Esmeralda, 1-760-773-4444, 8.1 miles
Visiting and Contacting Patients
Visiting Hours
Family and supportive friends are welcome to visit Betty Ford Center inpatient residents weekly. Visitation is from 12:30-2 p.m. on Sundays.
Can my pets also come visit?
No, please be sure to let your family members know to leave all pets at home. Pets are not allowed on site, and in this area the heat makes it unsafe to leave pets in cars. If this guideline is not followed, staff reserve the right to ask a visitor and their pet to leave campus.
Patient Communication
Here's what you need to know about calls and mail.
Phone Calls
Patients may use their cellphones in their room, when not in programming. To reduce distractions and protect the confidentiality of the treatment community, patients are not allowed to keep their phones on their person. Phones must be kept and used in patients' rooms only unless other arrangements have been made with staff.
In the event of a true emergency where you must reach staff or your loved one immediately, please call your patient's counselor during working hours, or the Medical Services Unit at 1-760-423-6700 after hours.
Gifts and Packages Policy
Loved ones may mail or bring the following items to patients:
- Flowers
- Clothes
- Alcohol-free toiletries and hygiene products
- Books
- Cards
- Bedding and towels that are new in packaging
- Arts and crafting supplies
- Medications
- Cigarettes/chewing tobacco
We do not allow the following items:
- Alcohol-based toiletries and hygiene products
- Aerosol products
- Kombucha, energy drinks, vaping devices, e-cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, herbal cigarettes, items containing CBD
- Homemade food
- Bedding, towels, or stuffed animals from home
- Weapons
- Small appliances
- Candles or items that may pose a fire hazard
- Sporting equipment such as golf clubs, skateboards, rollerblades/roller skates, bicycles, baseball bats, jump ropes
To ensure the safety of our treatment community, all items must be given directly to staff and will be searched prior to being delivered to patients. Items brought to campus may be delivered Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm and should be dropped off in the Reception Building. When dropping off items, you will not be allowed to visit with a patient unless explicit arrangements have been made with staff prior to arrival on campus.
Hazelden Betty Ford Center
[Patient's name]
39407 Vista Del Sol
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Helpful Links and Resources
- Community Health Needs Assessment 2021
- Community Health Needs Assessment Implementation Plan
- Patient Aid Plain Language Summary
- Patient Aid Policy and Procedures
- Patient Aid Application
- Proposito de la Politica de Ayuda Para el Paciente
- Resumen en Lenguage Sencillo de la Politica de Ayuda Para el Paciente
- Solicitud de Ayuda Para el Paciente
Service Animal Policy
Service animals are permitted in Hazelden Betty Ford facilities and we afford individuals who require the assistance of a service animal with equal opportunity to access the organization. Per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a "service animal" is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.
Per the ADA, dogs or other animals whose sole function is to provide comfort, emotional support or companionship do not qualify as service animals. Emotional support, therapy animals and pets are not permitted on Hazelden Betty Ford's facilities, leased spaces or on campus grounds.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
Let us recognize and acknowledge that our Hazelden Betty Ford treatment centers lie on the ancestral lands of multiple native nations. And let us also recognize that as a professional field and organization we continue to benefit from the use and occupation of colonized Native lands.
Let us make these acknowledgments of the ground on which we work so that all those with whom we work know that we recognize our responsibility to the indigenous inhabitants of these lands and that we strive to address our settler colonial history so that it guides our healing work in the present and the future.
We acknowledge that we stand on the homelands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who are stewards to more than 31,500 acres of ancestral lands in this area. We honor and respect the enduring relationship that exists between these people and the land. While on this land, we acknowledge the specific peoples who have been affected by the colonization of this location.
Licensure and Certifications
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Rancho Mirage location is licensed as a Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital through the Department of Public Health and is certified by the Department of Health Care Services for Outpatient services.
California Department of Health Care Services – Certification Number 330164AN – Expiration 5/31/25.
California Department of Public Health – License Number 250000049 – Expiration 9/6/25.
California Price Transparency CMS requires a machine-readable file of standard charges: Price Transparency.csv
