Hazelden history

The idea for Hazelden was born in 1947 when Austin Ripley, a recovering alcoholic, set
out to create a treatment center in Minnesota specifically for alcoholic priests.

After Lynn Carroll and other key supporters got involved, the priest-only concept was rejected for a broader patient base. Hazelden was incorporated on January 10, 1949, as "a sanatorium for curable alcoholics of the professional class." The property on which Hazelden's Center City, Minnesota, campus now stands was called "Hazelden," named for Hazel Thompson of the Thompson family who acquired the property in 1925. The name Hazelden stuck when the Hazelden Board of Trustees sought incorporation.

Hazelden's modest roots began in the Old Lodge, a farmhouse retreat for male alcoholics in Center City. Carroll, Hazelden's first counselor, led a simple recovery program based on Alcoholics Anonymous principles. The Twelve Steps and treatment with dignity and respect formed the foundation of care, the same core components of Hazelden treatment today. In the first 18 months, 156 men came through Hazelden's doors. Today, more than 250,000 men, women and young people have benefited directly from Hazelden's recovery services, and millions worldwide have benefited from Hazelden's educational materials and the Hazelden model of care.

Hazelden's first three years were shaky, but once the Butler family assumed financial control of Hazelden and Pat Butler was named president in 1952, Hazelden flourished. In 1953, Fellowship Club in St. Paul was established as a halfway house to provide a safe haven for those in recovery who needed a longer period of education and support. In 1954, Pat Butler acquired the rights to Twenty-Four Hours a Day, a daily meditation book for alcoholics that launched Hazelden's publishing endeavors. Two years later, Hazelden established Dia Linn in Dellwood, Minnesota, one of the first treatment centers specifically for women.

The decade of the 1960s was a period of great innovation and growth. This is when the holistic, interdisciplinary team approach to treatment really took shape, an approach that became known as the "Minnesota Model" and has been emulated worldwide. Under the direction of Daniel Anderson, Dia Linn served as the laboratory for the Minnesota Model experiment. By the mid-1960s, psychologists, full-time chaplains, family services, and a comprehensive medical unit became part of the treatment approach. Treatment beds increased from 26 to 157 in the mid-1960s, and female patients were moved to Center City. The tradition of gender-specific care for men and women continued at the shared location. Addiction training of counselors, clergy, and other professionals also began in the 1960s.

The 1970s and 1980s was a period of tremendous growth for Hazelden Publishing, as self-help materials for recovering alcoholics and addicts, "codependents," and people with other addictions gained popularity. In 1981, Hazelden Pioneer House opened in Plymouth, Minnesota, to serve addicted young people (ages 14-25) and their families. A full continuum of care opened in 1986 at Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's in West Palm Beach, Florida, marking Hazelden's first major regional expansion. Regional centers were added in 1992 in New York and in 1997 in Chicago. Hanley-Hazelden specialized in providing treatment services for older adults.

The late 1980s and early 1990s represented a volatile period for addiction treatment programs as hundreds of treatment centers closed or downsized. However, under president Jerry Spicer's leadership, Hazelden focused on fiscal responsibility and quality improvement during the early 1990s, positioning itself for growth. Instead of downsizing, Hazelden remained committed to sustaining and enhancing its continuum of care. In 1999, Hazelden celebrated its 50th anniversary and advanced its legacy of providing addiction education and training with the opening of the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies in Center City.

In August 2001, the Hazelden Meditation Center in Center City opened, signifying Hazelden's commitment to the spiritual aspects of addiction treatment and recovery. The center was built on the site of the Old Lodge, where Hazelden's first patients received care. In May 2006, the meditation center was named the Lavinia Neill Meditation Center in memory of Lavinia Neill, mother of Hazelden boardmember Lavinia Johnston. In January 2002, Hazelden acquired Springbrook Northwest, a treatment center in Newberg, Oregon. Springbrook already employed a Twelve Step, interdisciplinary approach to addiction treatment, similar to Hazelden's, so it fit in well with Hazelden's national continuum of services.

In November 2002, Ellen Breyer was named president and CEO of Hazelden. The first woman to lead the organization, Breyer focused Hazelden's efforts on increasing access to treatment and improving treatment outcomes. In 2006, construction of a new, state-of-the-art Women's Recovery Center on the Center City campus was completed. Also in 2006, Hazelden launched the Web-based MORE (My Ongoing Recovery Experience) program, a major continuing care initiative to provide intensive support for patients during the first 18 months following primary treatment.

Under the leadership of Mark G. Mishek, who was named president and CEO of the organization in November 2008, Hazelden began to experience a period of growth and transformation. In April 2010, Hazelden opened a new recovery center in Naples, Florida. The two-story commercial and condominium complex included 12 residential treatment units with capacity for 47 patients. Outpatient treatment programming and medically supervised outpatient detoxification services were also introduced at the Naples location. A coffee shop and Hazelden first, Hazel's Cup, was located on the first floor of the complex.

Also in April 2010, Hazelden completed construction of a yearlong expansion and renovation project at its Springbrook campus in Newberg, Oregon. The project doubled the size of the campus' residential treatment services unit and allowed extended care patients to live on site while continuing treatment. In addition to the bricks and mortar expansion, Hazelden's Springbrook center expanded its mental health services with new, highly specialized trauma programming for both primary and extended care patients.

Hazelden continued to grow by leaps and bounds in 2010-2012, with the opening of new facilities in Maple Grove and Chaska and a first-of-its-kind collegiate residential facility (Tribeca Twelve) in New York City.

What follows is a timeline that cites some of the major milestones in Hazelden history:

January 10, 1949 -- Hazelden incorporates.

May 1, 1949 -- Hazelden opens; first patient is admitted.

December 1952 -- Patrick Butler is chosen to serve as president of Hazelden. The Butler family provides financial stability for the organization.

December 1953 -- Fellowship Club, a halfway house for men, opens in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1954 -- Pat Butler acquires rights to Twenty-Four Hours a Day, a daily meditation book for recovering alcoholics, launching the beginning of Hazelden publishing efforts.

1956 -- Dia Linn, one of the first residential addiction treatment programs specifically for women in the United States, opens in Dellwood, Minnesota.

1958 --In a talk, Dia Linn nurse Jane Cain introduces the term "chemical dependency" to help define addiction to all mood-altering substances.

1961 -- Dan Anderson joins Hazelden full-time as executive vice president and director.

August 22, 1964 – The groundbreaking for a major expansion at the Center City campus is held.

January 1965 -- Gordon Grimm joins Hazelden as its first full-time chaplain.

1965-1966 -- Hazelden's residential program at Center City is expanded. Ignatia Hall, the medical unit also known as the infirmary, and four new patient units—Tiebout, Silkworth, Dia Linn, and Shoemaker—are opened.

April 1966 -- On Good Friday, women patients move from Dia Linn in Dellwood, Minnesota, to the newly expanded Center City campus, joining male patients. Some called it "Bad Friday," because many male alums predicted it would disrupt the therapeutic environment and many women liked the peace and serenity of the Dia Linn site. Separate treatment services remain for men and women.

July 1966 -- Lynn Carroll leaves Hazelden, marking the end of an era. The strict AA style of care is replaced with the holistic, interdisciplinary approach to addiction treatment. The core AA foundation of treatment remains, facilitated by licensed addiction counselors, but other components of care are integrated to address the spiritual, family, social, and psychological needs of patients and their families.

1968 -- An extended care program is introduced for patients needing long-term care. Men are housed at the old Dia Linn site; women stay at the Pine Cottage near the Old Lodge.

July 1969 -- Construction begins on second major building expansion on the Center City campus. The project includes the 316-seat Bigelow Auditorium; Lilly Hall, a residential unit; and Jellinek Hall, home to extended care patients and students enrolled in Hazelden's training programs.

1970 – Hazelden's Center City campus has 157 beds for primary care patients, 22 admitting beds in Ignatia Hall, the medical unit, and 23 beds at Jellinek Hall, the extended care unit.

1971 -- Dan Anderson succeeds Patrick Butler as president of Hazelden; Butler becomes chair of the Hazelden Board of Trustees.

1972 – Hazelden's Family Program, led by Harold Swift and Terence Williams, is introduced, based on Al-Anon principles and the welfare of family members. Professionals in Residence programming begins for teachers and serves as forerunner to more structured and individualized training later developed for professionals of many disciplines.

1981 -- Hazelden Pioneer House in Plymouth, Minnesota, is purchased to serve as a treatment center for adolescents and young adults, with Damian McElrath serving as director. Hazelden's Women's Outpatient Program is established at Nicollet Clinic in Minneapolis.

1982 -- Each Day a New Beginning, a daily meditation book for women in recovery, is published by Hazelden.

1983 – The Hanley-Hazelden Resource Clinic opens in West Palm Beach, Florida, providing day treatment outpatient services. Clarence Snyder Hall, a halfway house for adolescents, opens in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. Hazelden's prevention programs begin.

1984 -- Renewal Center, a Twelve Step retreat facility, opens in Center City under Rev. Jerry Dollard's direction.

March 1986 -- Dan Anderson retires, and Harold Swift is named the new Hazelden president.

September 29, 1986 -- Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's in West Palm Beach, Florida opens. It is a six-building facility offering a full continuum of care..Patrick Griffin is named executive director.

1986 -- Codependent No More, by Melody Beattie, is published by Hazelden and becomes a New York Times bestseller.

1988 -- Demolition of the Old Lodge on the Center City campus takes place. Hazelden Services, Inc. opens at Hazelden's Park Avenue site in Minneapolis. Hazelden Education Services Incorporated opens in Cork, Ireland, to serve as distribution center for published items.

1992 – Hazelden's New York Fellowship Club opens in midtown Manhattan. Jerry Spicer succeeds Harold Swift as president of Hazelden. The Chicago Resource Center opens. Hazelden Institute is established to enhance leadership in public policy and research with the Center for Public Policy and the Butler Center for Research and Learning serving as its two main components.

May 1993 -- Hazelden-Pittman Archives, a major repository of historic pamphlets, books, tracts, and other materials on alcoholism, is established.

1996 -- Hazelden establishes its Web site on the Internet.

1997 -- Hazelden opens new center in Chicago offering inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment services. The Women and Children's Recovery Community is established in New Brighton, Minnesota.

January 10, 1999 -- Hazelden celebrates 50 years of service.

September 1999 – The Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies opens to its first class of six students.

April 2001 -- Nick Hilger is named president and CEO of Hazelden.

August 2001 -- The Meditation Center opens on Hazelden's Center City campus.

January 2002 -- Hazelden acquires Springbrook Northwest, a 50-bed addiction treatment center in Newberg, Oregon. The facility, located on a 23-acre campus in a suburb of Portland, offers men and women a primary residential treatment program that is similar to Hazelden's.

May 2002 -- Nick Hilger resigns as president and CEO of Hazelden, and Ellen L. Breyer is named interim president and CEO.

November 2002 -- Ellen L. Breyer is named president and CEO. She is the first woman to lead the organization.

February 19, 2003 -- Dan Anderson, addiction treatment pioneer and former Hazelden president, dies at age 81.

December 2003 -- Hazelden launches "Making Recovery America's Business," a national campaign to raise awareness about addiction and substance abuse in the workplace.

December 14, 2003- - Hazelden's Fellowship Club in St. Paul celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing a safe, structured, sober halfway house for men and women in early recovery.

May 2004 -- Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services celebrates 50 years of publishing Twenty-Four Hours a Day and thus 50 years in the publishing business.

December 2004 -- Hanley-Hazelden Center and the Hazelden Foundation agree to terms to end their 21-year relationship. Effective January 1, 2005, Hanley-Hazelden Center begins operation as an independent entity called the Hanley Center.

September 2006 -- The new Women's Recovery Center opens on Hazelden's Center City campus, a two-story, state-of-the-art facility built exclusively for women. Clinical program enhancements are added to women's care.

December 2006 -- Hazelden adds FDA-approved anti-craving drugs as a treatment tool.

March 2007 -- Hazelden unveils a new visual identify, including a new logo and a brand promise: Hazelden promises patients, families, and customers the best opportunity for lifelong recovery.

June 2007 -– The Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies earns Higher Learning Commission accreditation.

March 2008 -– Extended care programming in Center City is realigned to deliver gender-specific care, with the Jellinek Unit becoming the men's unit and the new Lilly Unit for women.

April 2008 -- President and CEO Ellen Breyer resigns.

November 2008 -- Mark G. Mishek takes the helm as president and CEO of Hazelden. He is the first recovering person since Pat Butler to lead Hazelden.

February 2010 -- Hazelden acquires sober24.com, a popular online recovery site.

April 2010 -- Hazelden opens a new 47-bed recovery center in Naples, Florida, offering residential and outpatient addiction treatment services, medically supervised outpatient detoxification services, and Hazel's Cup coffee shop.

April 2010 -- Hazelden completes a yearlong, $10 million facility expansion and renovation project at its Springbrook campus in Newberg, Oregon, doubling the size of the residential treatment services unit and allowing extended care patients to live on campus.

May 2010 -- The iconic Hazelden water tower gets a makeover, complete with sandblasting and repainting. Also in May, About My Drinking, an online assessment tool, is launched, allowing web visitors to gauge their use of alcohol and get recommendations and resources for next steps.

June 2010 -- Hazelden publishes The Book That Started It All, a four-color reproduction of the original 1939 working manuscript of the Big Book.

July 2010 -- Building on the successes in Newberg, Oregon, Hazelden's Health Care Professionals Program is brought to Center City, Minnesota.

August 2010 -- Hazelden partners with the U.S. Navy to offer servicemen and women a version of MORE®, which is customized to include content on post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide prevention and training in treatment and recovery for Navy counselors.

September 2010 -- Hazelden's Graduate School of Addiction Studies joins with Publishing and Educational Services to offer an online distance learning program, allowing professionals to complete courses, update licenses and earn credits from the comfort of their own homes.

December 2010 -- A specialty treatment track for legal professionals is added to address stumbling blocks to recovery experienced by those whose job is to problem-solve and care for others.

January 2011 -- Hazelden mourns the passing of beloved author and lecturer Earnie Larsen (Now That You're Sober, Destination Joy, Believing in Myself).

April 2011 -- Hazelden Connection goes live, offering recovery coaching and support to participants and their loved ones. Also in April, transitional housing for men opens in Chicago and Hazelden celebrates renovations to the admissions and medical facilities at Center City, Minnesota.

May 2011 -- Hazelden expands to Maple Grove, Minnesota, opening a facility that offers weekend and evening intensive outpatient care, mental health therapy, chemical dependency assessments, and continuing care groups.

June 2011 -- Paul L. Gossling, president and CEO of Origin Point Brands in South Carolina, is named chair of the Hazelden Board of Trustees.

September 2011 -- Hazelden hosts the first-ever Dream On gala for youths and families at Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis. A packed house of more than 400 alumni, trustees, staff, elected officials and donors celebrated Hazelden's 30 years of providing youth services and programs.

October 2011 -- Ground is broken for a $30 million expansion and renovation project at Hazelden's youth campus in Plymouth, Minnesota.  The expansion includes a 32-bed recovery unit for young women, a gym and designated spaces for family programs and mental health services.

November 2011 -- Hazelden opens Tribeca Twelve, a collegiate recovery residence in New York City.

January 2012 -- Hazelden Publishing and IC&RC (the world leader in addiction-related credentialing) partner to launch Focus on Integrated Treatment (FIT), the only interactive online training program to help professional successfully treat co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

January 2012 -- Hazelden completes a renovation of its facility in Newberg, Oregon, making more room for extended-care patients and adding trauma-focused care. Also in January, the Center City Family Program completes its move to a warm and welcoming renovated space in the Butler Building.

February 2012 -- Hazelden opens in Chaska, Minnesota, offering intensive outpatient programs to both youths and adults, along with mental health and continuing care services.