New Frontier Treatment Center – Bigger, Better, and Ready to Serve

New Frontier Treatment Center in Fallon celebrated its recently completed facility expansion on Jan. 13. A host of state, federal, and local partners, who helped make the project possible, were on hand for commendations, tours, and a ribbon cutting. 

Fallon’s only dedicated substance abuse treatment center, New Frontier, has been offering residential and outpatient services for over 50 years. In 2019, it earned the distinguished designation as the state’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic and now also offers an array of mental health and support services. 

New Frontier Executive Director Lana Robards and her staff began working on funding for the project nearly seven years ago. Through $3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan and grant funding, New Frontier was able to expand the residential wing by 10,000 square feet and increase treatment capacity from 28 beds to 40.

The expansion also included a dedicated women’s section, improved clinical and therapy rooms, and a much-needed kitchen upgrade. With the project complete, the facility will now be able to serve up to 1,200 patients each year.

Rural Development Director with the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA), Alida Ceballos, and her team worked with New Frontier throughout the funding process, helping guide the project from concept to completion. 

During presentations, Ceballos credited Robards as a driving force behind the expansion. “It takes vision, persistence, and a forward-looking focus to execute on a project of this scope,” Ceballos said, who acknowledged the scarcity of mental health facilities throughout the state. “Facilities like New Frontier are transforming the medical landscape of rural Nevada by the great work they do.” 

Robards, who has been with New Frontier for 22 years, said she has long envisioned a facility that could accommodate the growing needs of the community. New Frontier has been working with individuals seeking substance abuse treatment since 1971 and has offered a residential facility since 1974; the need has often outweighed capacity and continues to grow.

“I want to say thank you to a few people who have been instrumental in the success of New Frontier and who help strengthen our mission, vision, and values,” said Robards, noting special appreciation for Mayor Ken Tedford’s continued support. 

Robards thanked the USDA, NDA, New Frontier staff, and local contractor Trevor Hammond and the Hammond Homes family, the general contractor for the expansion. “Lana told me when we started this job that we had a year to do it. We had to do two different additions and remodel the interior of this building,” Trevor Hammond said. “And she was not going to shut down at all.”

According to Hammond, New Frontier continued operations throughout all phases of construction, even maintaining an outdoor cooking tent when there was no kitchen access. “The everyday staff to keep this whole place moving and going while I was doing construction, literally around them on all sides, did an amazing job,” he said.

Before kicking off the ribbon cutting and tours of the new additions, staff from the offices of U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Mark Amodei presented certificates of commendation. Representatives from the state, including the governor’s office, Division of Public and Behavioral Health, and Rural Economic and Community Development, were also present to mark the occasion and acknowledge New Frontier’s role in behavioral health treatment.

Fallon native and Nevada Assemblyman Dr. Gregory Koenig attended the celebration and shared a brief history of New Frontier, which began with a seven-member board and a single counselor. Over time, the facility expanded its services and capacity. In 2007, a catastrophic fire burned through the interior of the grounds. “But we didn’t quit,” Koenig said.

“Since then, New Frontier has become a leader in the state and is consistently proving that rural doesn’t mean second class,” he said. Koenig added that federal support has allowed the facility to reduce wait lists and expand access to medication-assisted treatment and psychiatric care.

Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony also attended the event, praising the collaboration among legislators, state and local government, nonprofits, and the private sector. “Everyone came together to make sure that New Frontier was able to not only get this money, but to expand their mission,” said Anthony.

Mayor Ken Tedford, a passionate advocate for mental health care who also serves as board chair of the Central Nevada Health District, closed the remarks by reflecting on how far New Frontier has come. “Many years ago, I sat in the parking lot and watched New Frontier burn to the ground,” Tedford said. “And to be here today, you can’t imagine from that night to where we are now ... It's just astonishing for a small community like ours to have what we have.”