Elko firm takes over Sierra Recovery Center

Sierra Recovery Center is no longer an independent nonprofit. This summer became part of Elko-based Vitality Unlimited.

“We aren’t carpetbaggers coming into South Lake Tahoe,” CEO Dorothy North said. “We are members of the community. We are here to build on and improve what has been here a long time.”

The board of directors in May voted to make the change, though the idea had been discussed for months.

Betsy Fedor is out as executive director and everyone else at the South Lake Tahoe rehab center had reapply for their jobs, though no guarantee was made they’d be rehired.

VU has offices throughout Nevada, with this being the first one in California.

“Vitality Unlimited’s mission is to create new paths to better lives by providing services and programs that promote positive life choices, improve the quality of life, and reduce the number of people dependent on alcohol and other drugs,” the website (www.vitalityunlimited.org) says.

For now, the changes amount to cosmetic improvements, according to North.