Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation makes an hour matter

Saturday kicked off the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's 2015 Alcohol Awareness Hour Speaker Series at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences on the campus of Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

The topic was "The Legacy of Betty Ford: Women in Recovery."

Panelists included Thalia Hayden, a KMIR news anchor, Susan Fox Gillis an associate judge from Cook County, Illinois, Mary Turner Pattiz, vice chair of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Board of Trustees and Madeline Redstone, a member of the foundation's board of trustees.

As the title suggested, the discussion focused on women and their efforts to overcome addiction.

The four panelists, who each shared her story of addiction to alcohol and her efforts to remain sober, took questions from those in attendance and offered advice on how to overcome temptations, avoid or move past setbacks.

"It's not the falling down, it's being able to pick yourself back up. And if you are doing that then you are on your way to recovery," said Redstone.

" 'Hang on and we will get through it.' That is my message to everyone," added Hayden.

"Making yourself of service to others is a great way to stay sober," said Pattiz.

Last year, the Hazelden, based in Minnesota, and the Betty Ford Center merged, becoming Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation's largest nonprofit treatment organization with numerous sites across the country.

The speakers series — an event started under the auspices of the Betty Ford Center — has been making a difference in attendees' lives one hour at a time for nearly 40 years, said Betsy Farver-Smith, executive director of Clinical Services at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

"This alcohol awareness hour has transitioned over the last 39 years. One of the things we want to do as a result of the merger is to continue doing what we have been doing because what we were doing was so successful and so well-received in the valley. We didn't want it perceived that Hazelden was going to come in and change a lot," Farver-Smith added. "This has been a really good series of events for us, we didn't want to change anything about it."

Farver-Smith recommends that anyone who might know someone dealing with substance abuse check out the foundation's website to find resources on how to help: hazeldenbettyford.org

For more information on the speaker series, (760) 773-4100.

Desert Sun reporter Paulina Rojas covers the eastern Coachella Valley. Reach her at (760) 778-4586, by email at paulina.rojas@desertsun.com or via Twitter @PerpetuallyPau.