Addiction, Treatment and Recovery

In the three decades since our doors opened to patients October 4, 1982, the Betty Ford Center and its employees have respected the privacy of our patients, all our patients.

Ninety-six thousand women and men have come to the Center for addiction treatment over the past 28 years.

When patients come to the Center for treatment, they come to a safe place where their identity is protected, where anonymity is safeguarded.  Their simple priority when in treatment is to learn how to live a life free of alcohol and other drugs.

Confidentiality and trust are key to the treatment and recovery process.

Regrettably, on December 21, 2010, one of our employees violated patients’ confidentiality by talking to the media and by disclosing a privileged document.

That employee has been terminated by the Betty Ford Center.

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1. Young Adult Men Receive Specialized Treatment at Betty Ford Center

3 Responses to “STATEMENT FROM THE BETTY FORD CENTER”

1. Wally says:

   December 22, 2010 at 4:10 am

   You did absolutely the right thing by terminating the employee that talked to the press. She should have respected the privacy of your patients. Great job for protecting your clinic and Great work.
2. BJM says:

   December 23, 2010 at 1:12 pm

   Absolutely you did the right thing. No matter what the details of the event are, the patient and those details are confidential. By going to the press, this employee violated rights to confidentiality. I was horrified when I read the email that the employee shared it with the media.
3. Nurse Sandra says:

   January 4, 2011 at 8:01 pm

   I was glad to see that BFC terminated that employee. People who work in rehab and mental health need to be willing to go the extra mile for their clients, realizing that the most important treatment modality is often the therapeutic use of self, and that confidentiality is of utmost importance in establishing and maintaining the practitioner/client relationship.