Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) – PA

October 4, 2024
Adolescent, Child/Adolescent Specialty, Children, Community-Based Treatment, FBT (Family-Based Therapy), IOP/PHP, Non-Profit, Offers Family Education/Support, Offers Medical Stabilization, Outpatient, Pennsylvania, Treats Males, Wraparound Services
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The Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CHOP’s Eating Disorder Programs offers partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient (OP) treatment for children and adolescents. It also can provide inpatient medical stabilization when needed.

Any reviews or details about the program? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!

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Cnf

1 year ago

When were you there? October-November 2020 & June-July 2021
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)? Hospital
How many patients are there on average? N/A
What genders does it treat? All

How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc? MD: Everyday, and you also would see a resident doctor. The attending physician usually switched every week Psychiatrist: Around 1x per week, and more if needed Psychologist/Therapist: Since it was more for medical stabilization, more focused on aftercare etc. but you were assigned a “therapist” /psychologist and spoke to them about 2x per week for a bit Dietician: The module they used was FBT, so you did the initial evaluation, and then they spoke mostly to the parents. If you had a question you could ask to speak to them, but they ordered the meals for you so there was not much need for interaction. Nursing: You had 1 nurse assigned to you per shift, and if needed, a 1:1. Additionally, if your MD thought it would be helpful, you were able to have individual sessions with the art or music therapist.

What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc.)? N/A

Describe the average day:

What were meals like? There was a set menu made for ED’s and you had no choice of what you wanted. The dieticians ordered the meals for you. At a certain point they would let the parents pick your meals so they had practice for when you went home, so then you didn’t get the standard ED menu. They had a system called “MOORS” (meals out of rooms) and if you were being pretty compliant then you were able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a few other patients. If you were struggling, or they thought it wouldn’t be good for you, then you just ate in your room. You were on schedule A or B- just meant you got meals at a different time. I was on B when I was there, and my meal times were: Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Lunch at 12 PM, and Dinner at 5:30 PM. Also, depending on your meal plan, you either had 0, 1, or 2 snacks. They only did AM and PM snacks, so there was never anything after dinner. You had 30 minutes for meals, 15 minutes for boost, and then a 30 minute “rest period” where you weren’t supposed to get up, go to the bathroom etc. If you ate in MOORS, then I think they just made you sit in the room for those 30 minutes, but if you ate in your room it didn’t really impact you much. Also, some people had a 1:1 all the time, but if you didn’t and you ate in your room, then I think you had someone sit with you for the meal and then also the rest period.
What sorts of food were available or served? Worked on a 1 week rotation, and it was a standard set menu for ED’s. Depending on your meal plan they just added more food but it was all the same menu. At a certain point your parents could start picking meals, but it had to be approved by the dietician and still fit your meal plan. They mostly just went off of calories, so there were no exchanges or anything like that, so sometimes the meals were a bit weird in the combinations. It was just regular hospital food, so some things were better than others… Some things that were served: Breakfast: Bagel and C.C., Muffin, Eggs, Milk, Pancakes and Syrup, Berries, Yogurt and Granola, Toast, Home Fries, French Toast Sticks and Syrup, Oatmeal etc. Snacks: Pudding, Juice, Apple/Banana and PB, Graham Crackers, Cereal and Milk, Chips and Salsa, Pita and Hummus, Pretzels, etc. Lunch and Dinner: Mains- Mac & Cheese, Hot Dog, Chicken Sandwich, Uncrustables, Chicken Tenders, Turkey Sandwich, Cheeseburger, Tilapia, Chicken Parm, Pizza, Burrito Bowl, Noodles and Meatballs, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Wrap etc. Sides- Dinner roll, Soup, Rice, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries, Carrots and Ranch, Side Salad and Dressing, Chips, Pretzels, Fresh Fruit, Cheese Cubes, Rice Krispie Treats, Ice Cream, Breadsticks, Corn, Broccoli etc
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Whatever you didn’t finish, you were given a boost for after the meal, and you had 15 minutes to complete the boost.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? If you refuse both the meal and the supplement, then you get an NG tube placed to make up for it. From my understanding if just once in a while you struggle with a meal or snack then they will just do a drop and pull, but if you are consistently not completing then it will be left in. TW If you refuse the tube, they are generally very quick to use restraints and IM’s etc. End TW
What privileges are allowed? It’s a medical hospital, so it’s much more lenient… In most cases you can have your phone and electronics, and most distractions that would be okayed in any inpatient or residential. However, if there are safety concerns there might be some limitations, but it’s pretty individual.
Does it work on a level system? Not really. Once you are more medically stable you are able to take laps around the unit, but that was pretty much it.
How do you earn privileges? N/A
What sort of groups do they have? They would occasionally have some sort of more therapy based group, but it didn’t happen a lot. They did have child life groups frequently which were really enjoyable.
What did you like the most? I cannot stress enough how amazing the nurses were!!! The nurses were there for me on my hardest days and never made me feel like a burden or a bad person when I was struggling. They really made the difference in my stay and helped me get through it. There were also a few amazing Dr’s and residents- they rotated on a weekly basis so sometimes you had a better Dr. one week vs another, but most of the Dr’s were really good and worked with you.
What did you like the least? I was pretty deep in my ED during this time and therefore I was extremely resistant to any sort of nutrition, and b/c I was a minor I couldn’t make any decisions. They are very much based on a medical model, and rightfully so b/c it’s a medical hospital, but that means that if you refuse meals and supplements, and then refuse a tube, they will call security and restrain you to forcefully put in the tube and do the feed, and if you fight it they will give you IM’s. In addition, if you are continuously self harming, they may also restrain you and give you meds. I agree that many times it was needed, however I still have a ton of trauma from being there that still affects me. Some of the Drs were much stricter than others and would literally have me be restrained for any little thing, warranted or not, and that really messed me up. Some Drs were more understanding and really tried to work with me and help me to not need so many interventions. However, I do have to say though that the nurses were real champs when dealing with me, and on multiple occasions I would have another nurse holding my hand and comforting me when they had to restrain me.
Would you recommend this program? In my opinion, for being an ED unit in a medical hospital, it was really good. The Drs and nurses were very caring and really knew eating disorders well, and I am grateful to many of them to this day. Obviously treatment isn’t fun, but CHOP was one of the best programs I’ve been to.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? When you were more medically stable, you were able to take three 10 minute walks a day, as well as go to the child life room for groups.
What did people do on weekends? N/A
Do you get to know your weight? NO
What was the average length of stay? Since it’s a medical hospital, it is meant to be shorter, however it is very much dependent on the person and their circumstances ie: medical stability, and also their aftercare plans. I was there for about 7 weeks the first time b/c first I had to get medically stable, and then wait for a spot to open up in a program. However, the average is probably 1-2 weeks.
What was the average age range? Children and teens, however I think in some cases they do accept until very young 20’s.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? A lot of the discussions are about aftercare, and they won’t discharge you until you have a plan set up. They usually push for inpatient/residential, but they also help with setting up an outpatient team.