Cedar House Breaks Ground on 70-Bed Bloomington Addiction Treatment Expansion
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Cedar House leaders, public officials and community partners gather in humid, 100-degree heat July 16 to break ground on a new 70-bed substance use treatment facility in Bloomington. Photo by Manny Sandoval
Cedar House Life Change Center broke ground July 16 on a two-story, 70-bed residential treatment facility designed to expand access to substance use disorder care across San Bernardino County.
The 32,000-square-foot facility will be built at Cedar House’s campus at 18612 Santa Ana Ave. in Bloomington. It will include clinical group rooms, family visitation areas, counseling space and additional room for treatment planning and recovery services.
The expansion was made possible through a California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program Launch Ready grant and support from public agencies, funders and community partners.
Cedar House CEO Jamie Lamb said the project marks a major step toward addressing one of the region’s most urgent behavioral health needs: timely access to substance use treatment and sustained recovery support.
“For Cedar House, this moment represents a major step forward in our ability to respond to one of the most urgent needs in our region — access to substance use treatment and recovery support,” Lamb said.
Founded in 1973, Cedar House provides individualized, evidence-based treatment for adults experiencing substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. Its continuum of care includes withdrawal management, residential and outpatient treatment, a perinatal program for women and children, sober living, alumni services and community outreach.
Lamb said each part of that system is essential because recovery does not happen through a single intervention or at one moment in a person’s life.
“Recovery is not a moment in time,” she said. “Recovery is a process, and it takes time, community support and tremendous grit from the people who come to us. We want to be ready to support them.”
The expansion will allow Cedar House to serve more clients while addressing longstanding space limitations at its existing campus. Lamb said offices, group rooms and meeting areas currently serve multiple purposes, requiring staff to frequently rearrange as different services compete for space.
“This expansion will not only help us serve more people, but it could also mean immediate access to care, fewer barriers to treatment and significantly more space,” Lamb said. “Cedar House is out of space.”
The new building will create dedicated areas for treatment, counseling, family meetings and long-term recovery planning. Lamb said the added capacity will be especially important when a person reaches the point of acknowledging a need for help.
“That moment of clarity comes when someone finally says, ‘I want help. I cannot do this alone,’” Lamb said. “Having that help readily available is going to mean the world to them.”
She said the impact will extend to families by creating opportunities for healing, forgiveness and reunification with loved ones who may have struggled for years with addiction.
“Nobody is beyond help, and nobody is beyond reach,” Lamb said.
Joyce Ablett, president of the Cedar House Board of Directors, said the expansion reflects years of planning, advocacy and collaboration focused on meeting the region’s growing need for behavioral health services.
“Cedar House has responded to the needs of the community with compassion, professionalism and a conviction that recovery is possible,” Ablett said. “This project is the result of years of planning, partnership, advocacy and a shared commitment to expanding high-quality treatment for those who need it most.”
Ablett credited Cedar House’s leadership, staff members, funders and community supporters with advancing the project from an initial vision to construction.
San Bernardino County Acting Director of Behavioral Health Joshua Dugas described Cedar House as a trusted part of the county’s behavioral health continuum and pledged the department’s continued support.
“The work reflects the kind of compassion, persistence and community-centered care that is essential to recovery,” Dugas said.
Dugas, who also serves as the county’s public health director, said the project demonstrates the connection between behavioral health services and the broader health of the community.
“Cedar House is an amazing facility that provides an important resource, and this community needs more help,” he said. “Behavioral Health is committed to doing whatever we can to help make this successful.”
Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren said Cedar House’s work affects not only those receiving treatment, but also their relatives, friends and support systems.
“You are changing lives, and not only the life of the person receiving care, but also the lives of the family and friends behind them,” Warren said. “When you look at one person, you may need to multiply that impact by 100.”
Lamb said the facility is only the beginning of Cedar House’s long-term vision. The nonprofit plans to eventually develop approximately 4½ acres across from its current campus with a sobering center, recovery housing and extended recovery support.
The goal is to create what Lamb described as a “recovery village” where clients can move through multiple stages of care in one location before returning to the community with greater stability and support.
“The people who come through our doors can start and finish here, then walk away ready to live life on life’s terms,” Lamb said. “Going back out there is not easy, and we know it.”
Learn more about Cedar House here.
