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Thank you!
Any recent reviews?? Please post below!
For ideas of questions for a review, click here: How to Write a Review.
Thank you!
This program is a joke. Why is a 14 year old with an eating disorder put in a room with a 16 year old cocaine addict. My granddaughter is bulemic not anorexic due to not eating. No one listens to her real problem. All they did was strip searched her even made her take her underwear off and watched her eat, SHE EATS THATS NOT THE PROBLEM. We were forced to put her there after she missed some spots at Helen devos who also did nothing for her except tell her to eat so they turned her parents into cps for medical neglect. This program probably did her more harm than good. Finding a facility for a teen girl with an eating disorder is nearly impossible in this area but please do not send your child to this place. They attempted to give her meds after the parents made it very clear no meds without our permission. Terrible program
I have several things to say about the ED program at Forest View. I was there multiple times from 2021-2023 so I do not know how accurate this information still is, bear that in mind. At the time, it was honestly hit or miss. Some of the staff is great, some, not so much. Techs defff were not as ED informed as I would hope they would have been. While I was there it was adolescents and adults combined, which for me, I always struggled with. A lot of the typical rules that you will run into at many treatment centers. I was in a much smaller body the times that I went and honestly would not feel comfortable going back if I needed to, as I am in a much larger body at this point. Not very HAES oriented. When I was there they did not tube. Not much as far as aftercare goes. Groups were honestly pretty useless. Dr ***** sucks. They assign all the ED patients to him because he is supposed to be “specialized” in them. The only thing he does is prescribe Zyprexa, in the hopes that it will increase your appetite. Rule enforcement is not consistent.
hi rachel! forest view accepts involuntary patients – can you update the tags? thanks in advance, and i appreciate the work you do here <3
Here is my honest review of this place. I hesitate to write it because for some people this maybe their only option. However Its better to know what you are going into than not. I went about a month ago and was discharged less than two weeks later, unstable and not at my goal weight. They do not have a program for ED. They say they do but they do not. They have support meals for people with ED but no groups and no separate unit. You will be staying on the unit with general psych. The nurses and doctors there know nothing about eating disorders. They take your vitals once a day and if they are low they do nothing. I did not meet with the dietician not one time. You are not required to attend support meals nor is supplementation enforced. They don’t focus on ED even if you come for ED. If you are mentally stable they will discharge you home. They will take your labs twice a week to replace potassium if needed but that is the extent of their monitoring for refeeding syndrome. Anything else is beyond their scope of abilities. Honestly, this program needs to be shut down before someone dies. My bp was critically low, my hr was at a deathly rate, I was blacking out, and they discharged me home at a lower weight than when I came. The dietician saw me the morning I was leaving to hand me a meal plan and told me what my weight was and said good luck. The psychiatrist said he doesnt know about ED and doesnt care and if I need more care see an outpatient team.
All that said.. If you need a safe space in a psych hospital to abstain from behaviors this is good for you. That is the extent of what they can offer. To enforce this you cannot be in your room after meals or snacks and have to stay on the unit where insane stuff happens with the rest of the non ED patients daily. High stress and anxiety provoking as the unit is small and lots of patients that are mainly non ED. However if you refuse meals and snacks you can be in your room with non penalty and once mentally stable they will discharge you home even if you never ate once. They dont tube feed. There are general groups for non ED patients that you are welcome to attend. Plus side, you can eat vegetarian but you will be served the same food every single day unless you are safe plating and can go down to the cafeteria which will not happen unless you are the dieticians favorite and she will allow it. So dont count on it because that happens once in a blue moon. I left Forest View after a little shy of two weeks and had to go straight to the ER for stabilization AFTER being admitted at FV for that time frame. They also strip search you for skin check when you are admitted and if you refuse they will give you a shot and still force you to strip for them. That was kind of all over the place so my apologies for that.
Again all that said… if you need a safe place for yourself for anything other than ED please go otherwise stay at home in your own comfy bed or go to a different hospital. I really wanted to give this place the benefit of the doubt with all the reviews but I found this place worse than the reviews were on here.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that traumatic experience. That sounds exactly like what I went through at Havenwyck (which is another hospital here in Michigan that you should never go anywhere near).
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I think you must have got put on the wrong track. I haven’t been in a bit but now know people who work there. The TEAL program does not have a separate unit but all adults in TEAL are supposed to be in the one specific unit meant mainly for ED and trauma patients. The ED/Teal program has definitely undergone so many changes over the years, and sometimes is better than others. I’ve been at times where the majority of the day including weekends has separate ED programming, and been at times where it may only be support meals and 1 group during the week and nothing on weekends. There is one main psychiatrist who actually knows eating disorders there and started the program a long time ago.
I will say every single time I was there they were not consistent with how they enforced rules on patients. With some they were very lax, while others would be put on bed rest if they skipped any food. I’ve also seen some ED patients that for whatever reason they don’t allow them in the actual ED program. They do also tube feed. Sometimes it may be a year inbetween when they tube feed, but they will tube patients especially if they make them involuntary or put them on a court order.
If you are very medically unstable they will send you to the hospital until you are stable enough to come back, I’ve seen it done multiple times.
it’s not the best program but I don’t want reviews to scare people away, it saved my life multiple times and I’m eternally grateful to this program.
Hello, I am being referred to inpatient at Forest view, I am feeling pretty nervous about it and so many uncertainties. Does anyone know what the TEAL program is like now? Do they tube feed? What is the schedule like now? Do they allow electronics/computer?
I came here for outpatient psychiatry, and the psychiatrist did not help me at all and he refused to write any meds for me even my current home meds. I’ve never been inpatient at this facility, but I know that some people I know have been and they said they had a bad experience and *TW* there’s a lot of abuse there was some sex scandals *END TW* lost medication getting forced to have tubes and since it’s State ran, they can literally hold you as long as they want in the state of Michigan. I think it’s like 90 days from what I’ve heard this is very reputable.
This is the only place Medicaid covers in the state of Michigan so unfortunately I have to go here. I have no other option unless I die so I have to go because that’s not what I want. Is there any positive things at all? Thankyou for your feedback but that does not give me any peace whatsoever. Actually makes things much worse in my head.
I went here to consult a psychiatrist for medication management and other ways to help cope with my ED but nothing too demanding. The psychiatrist treated me like I was an addict and I take benzodiazepines. (Rx) and he basically kicked me out. Never going back.
My arrival at Forest View was actually really traumatic because I hadn’t scheduled it ahead of time. I’d been brought to ER by a friend after they thought my SI was a suicide attempt. The social worker on duty basically told me I could voluntarily go into the facility or they would make me do it so I agreed. I wasn’t planning on going into any kind of ED treatment at that time. When I was first brought in I was strip-searched by a female staff member, then brought to a locked ward with men and women there. I was terrified, it was around 3am, there were no doors…the best roommate one could ever ask for told the nurses to give me a sedative which I’m forever grateful for.
The following day I had an intake assessment and after hearing about my issues, they decided to put me in the TEAL program. It did feel much more secure to be in a women’s-only wing. As for the ED program though, it felt like it was either brand-new, being phased out, or run by someone who really didn’t know what they were doing. We spent most of the day just sitting around. There was a nutrition class but the nutritionist seemed uninformed and couldn’t answer questions. I’m not sure her credentials. The psychiatrist had way too many patients so I got about 3 minutes with him every few days and he constantly mixed me up with other people. Based on the piles of files on his desk he was overworked so no way he could really understand or bond with anyone. He did get me started on meds though and they did help. I didn’t receive any therapy except for some emotional support at meal times and once when I had a panic attack. There were a lot of lessons but they seemed elementary. I was switched to the trauma program after two weeks because even I realized my ED issues were from trauma. The trauma program was much more intense therapy and did a lot more to help. In the ED program they really seemed lost about what to do. One girl tried to exercise in her room so they confined her to a wheelchair and made her sleep in a padded room. She was underweight but it seemed really excessive and not a useful way to actually resolve the issues. I will say it probably saved her life but if they had combined the supervision with real therapy and treatment it probably would have been better.
Meals: I had tray for all of 2 days. They respected that I wouldn’t eat pork products and never pushed me about that. You do have to clean your plate including any condiments you take. The self-select option was really nice and the selection was good. The food itself was what you would expect for a cafeteria – sandwiches, burgers, fried chicken, and a little salad bar. It was tasty usually but not all that healthy or interesting. After I left the ED program and was in HOPE we got the same meals so they don’t give TEAL different foods. The only difference is HOPE eats in the cafeteria. It’s actually easier I think when you’re with everyone else and they are chatting about things, easier than being watched.
Financial: They do work hard communicating with insurance so that you can stay as long as you need. They accept all health insurance including Michigan Medicaid and Medicare. They do payment plans and can combine IP with PHP to save money if you’re struggling. They will also help you apply for benefits, disability, etc if you need it. A friend of mine who was there at the same time was going to be kicked out by her family after discharge. They got her disability in a matter of weeks (usually takes 1-2 years) and Medicare to cover her stay. If you have few options, at least they do try really hard for you.
Residence: The quarters are pretty spartan and what you’d expect for a hospital setting. Older building. A little run down but comfortable enough. I had a roommate. She was great. They don’t allow electronics or phones at all but did loan us a white noise machine to help with sleep. You don’t leave the building much, maybe once a week for a few minutes in the courtyard.
Therapy: Art therapy was the only thing I really loved as part of the ED program. You can paint, sculpt, make collages. The art therapy person never scolded anyone about what they made or how they expressed themselves, or at least I never saw it. That was nice. The trauma program provides a lot of very intense, exhausting therapy daily (4+ hours) but TEAL is mostly learning how to plan meals.
Activity: Not a lot. There was one session of yoga and you could walk the halls a few times if you weren’t severely underweight. As mentioned, one person was strapped down for exercising so that is an issue. In HOPE you get more exercise like basketball, throwing ice (trauma exercise), more yoga and stretching. There was a TV area and some books.
Aftercare: I was set up with a therapist before I left and was scheduled to meet with him 3 times/week after PHP. I also had monthly follow ups with the psychiatrist, eventually 3-6 month follow ups now. I was also given information about the outpatient ED support group but didn’t go. I also got a nutritionist appointment.
Overall: Forest View is a good resource for those in crisis. It’s a safe place to settle for a short time in order to feel grounded and get ready for longer-term recovery options. If you’re at an unsafe weight, they can help you regain some strength and recover enough to move on to someplace with a more in-depth program. Likewise, if you can’t quit a behavior or you just don’t trust yourself to be OK, call them. They do offer supervision and some support when you’re at your worst.
I wouldn’t recommend them for long-term care. I saw people get into a holding pattern there. They didn’t make progress, they just got stuck. That’s okay for a little while, better than falling back into something more dangerous, but it’s not how you want to live. There are better, more intensive programs with more experienced and dedicated staff. Forest View should be a step on the path to recovery but it’s unlikely to be the place where everything gets better because they just lack that ability. Don’t get discouraged or feel like it’s you. A lot of “alumni” have struggled there. HUGS and wishing you all the best with your recovery.
This review is based off a recent experience I had with trying to get admitted to Forest View’s IP program. This took place from December ’22 to February ’23.
I had nothing but constant headaches dealing with their admissions team here. We have little variety when it comes to ED treatment in Michigan, and having Medicaid, this was my only option for a higher level of care that wasn’t purely medical based bc Medicaid won’t fund for leaving the state. So, my team and I started the process in December. I had been turned away by all other programs in the state for, what they classified as, a severe case, and no PHP or outpatient would take me.
I was initially screened by my county’s crisis team to get approved by insurance for admissions, and they gave us the go ahead. Medicaid requires you to be under a specific BMI to get approved for here, keep that in mind. So my team contacted FV, I was sent to the ER to get medically cleared which they will have everyone with a low BMI do, and then the paperwork was faxed over. I was aware that initially FV had limited openings and it could take some time to get in. It took about a week and a half of them playing phone tag before my team contacted me and said FV could admit me tomorrow. Grand Rapids is a few hours away from me, so I made the journey out there to be prepared, and then I get a phone call that, uh oh, suddenly they don’t have a bed for me anymore despite FV literally telling me to come there.
So I went back home and waited a few more days. They still hadn’t heard anything back from Forest View and now they’re calling them daily to see what’s going on. Finally, a few more weeks pass and they call me, tell me that FV again has an opening and I must go to the ER right away because they need updated bloodwork. I do that, the paperwork is sent over like before, and my team is telling them that this is a very urgent situation, I need to be admitted ASAP. Each time my team had to rescreen me for symptoms, and my behaviors + weight were just getting worse, which FV was fully aware of. They were the ones having them ask me these questions.
Wait a day, hear nothing, my team calls back and tells me that suddenly there’s no bed, AGAIN. My team is frustrated, I don’t know what to do anymore. They keep pestering them constantly, there’s just ‘no beds open’. Which is funny because I had spoken to a girl that had been discharged the day they said they would admit me, so there was at least one bed open, and they knew I was on the waiting list. They promised the next spot open, they’d hold it. By this point it’s the end of January, I am in critical condition, just praying they’ll get back to me.
Finally get the call that they’re keeping a bed open for me, I must go to the ER and get bloodwork done for a third time, and they’re going to admit me that very same day. So I do that, FV talks to the social workers at the hospital and the story has changed within hours. They don’t have a bed open but they’re working on it and 100% will have one for me tomorrow. The next day rolls around, FV finally admits that they refuse to take me because my weight is now too low and has been too low for them this whole time. My team kept calling them until the beginning of February, when they finally gave up because they weren’t budging.
So from December to the end of January, they had me rushing from ER to ER, spending hours upon hours doing so, kept lying to my team, only for nothing to come of it. And I’m still massively struggling with getting help and getting better. I literally can’t afford to get treatment elsewhere bc I can’t pay for it out of pocket. The best help here are literally just general psych units, specifically Saint Joe’s Chelsea, even though they don’t specialize in EDs.
I didn’t want to go to FV because of all the horrible reviews I’ve read and what I’ve heard from talking with people, but I thought that after years of my doctors mentioning it, I would give it a try in hopes that they could help me with the crappy spot I was in. But no, they really dropped the ball this time. It makes me feel like utter garbage and like my wellbeing just doesn’t matter for them to pussyfoot around openly saying that they can’t take me. Maybe if I didn’t have state insurance my experience would be different. I’m writing this as a warning to anyone that’s considering going here. I hope no one else has this experience, and if you urgently need help, that they will take you. It just sucks that I was left high and dry. I fear if I ever struggle with a bad relapse again, I’ll have absolutely no where to turn to.
Can you give me your email?? I think I may have some helpful information. How old are you?
My email is neartheotaku@hotmail.com, if you have any information on other places, that’d be super awesome. I’m 25. Trying to get into New Oakland’s CERV PHP rn because that seems like the only other option currently
Could you possibly provide the information to me as well please? I’m in the same exact situation as Disappointed… My email is finleyblack514@gmail.com. Thanks so much.
I’m so sorry you went through this. It’s bad enough to be really ill and desperate for help and told you could get it, only to be lied to repeatedly.
You might be able to use this whole experience to make a case for why you need treatment in another state. If you feel you could still benefit from IP treatment, it might be worth asking for an exception to the in state rules because nowhere in state was able to treat you.
I had similar issues with MO medicaid in 2013, but was successful in making them cover out of state treatment because there was no facility in state that could meet my needs.
I wish you the best and hope you can find help that’s actually helpful.
Do they accept patients from out of state?
I’m thinking if you have a medicare plan. but i’m sure if you have medicaid for your state they probably can negotiate a single case agreement.
or if you have BCBS sometimes you can use them in outlying states.
When were you there? May and June 2019 in PHP
How many patients on average? It varies, but usually around 5-8.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? I believe so, but it was all girls when I was there
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? You see the dietitian everyday because she has breakfast with you and is the one who weighs you in the morning. The main ED dietitian is good, as well as one more, but the rest who would substitute were annoying and overly chipper. You see your psychiatrist everyday (remember, this is partial). I saw my case worker everyday, but this isn’t regular. I also had a nurse/RN who saw me about everyday.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? I believe DBT more than anything else. We have general group therapies and activity therapy.
Describe the average day: Partials had to be there by 7:30 for weigh-in and breakfast, which we ate on the unit with the inpatients. You start on a tray and work your way up to self-select which IS WORTH IT. Breakfast usually starts around 8 after we mark our emotions/hunger level. It ends around 9, after 45 minutes of mealtime. After breakfast, inpatients returned to their units and partials go back down to the partial groups until 10:30 when the ED coordinator would collect us. We would return to the ED room for snack and group therapy. Snack was 15 minutes, and therapy lasted until around 11:30, maybe noon. Then we had lunch with the activity therapist, with activity therapy right after. That usually lasted until 3, but it would end around 2 twice a week for nutrition group. Around 2:30 is when the second snack would happen. At 3, inpatients return to unit, and partials are free to go. I do know that inpatients now have supported meals with the activity therapist, and she’s great.
What were meals like? They were decent, but it depended on the day and people’s emotions. Sometimes, there would be a girl vocally stressed and causing tension.
What sorts of food were available or served? Not very good foods, but a lot of variety. You can have up to 3 dislikes, including any allergies or food choices like vegetarianism. They aren’t able to support veganism and ED at this time. It all depended on your meal plan, but breakfast usually included something like oatmeal or cereal (sometimes Grits), toast, eggs or another protein and usually some sort of “extra” like jelly or butter. For lunch, it varied greatly, but you do have a dessert at lunch once you reach that part of your meal plan. You can have 2 salts and 2 peppers during every meal, and a max of 2 cups of water.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes, anything less than 100% but 50% or greater was one Ensure. Anything less than 50% was two ensures.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes
What privileges are allowed? For partials: no phones allowed on unit or during partial groups. Lockers are provided to put belongings in, and they are strict about no phones (especially when one goes off). For ED partials during ED programming, you can go to the bathroom after meals but the person in charge had to check it. After an hour for partials, they could flush (ask). I believe for inpatients it was 2 hours, but it can sometimes be at the leader’s discretion (but don’t assume).
Does it work on a level system? Not really, unless you count individual meal plans.
What sort of groups do they have? The regular partial unit had groups on anger management, confrontation skills, assertiveness exercises, and other coping mechanisms. Partial at 9 started with general group therapy/introductions, which was my favorite part except for when one person would become too graphic or talk forever, but the coordinator was good at stopping that. It is usually at this time you are pulled out by your case worker or RN for meetings.
What was your favorite group? Group therapy with the ED coordinator or activity therapy.
What did you like the most? Self-selection and activity therapy
What did you like the least? The second time I was there, my meal plans kept increasing before I could reach 100% at lunch. Also, the oranges were hard to peel and very stringy, which cuts into eating time. There was also no individual therapy, but I saw my therapist outside of programming at her discretion.
Would you recommend this program? Yes, but it is designed to be a fast treatment program. It isn’t like residential. It varies how long you are there, but I recommend going next door to do IOP at CTED after completing partial or inpatient which is a longer outpatient program.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? None, unless privately discussed. This included no pacing.
Do you get to know your weight? No.
How fast is the weight gain process? It must depend on the person.
What was the average length of stay? 2-4 weeks depending on the case.
What was the average age range? Average around 20-21 yo but many adolescents. Occasional full-grown adults.
What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) None allowed.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? They do, but it really depends on insurance. CTED, for example, only accepts Priority Health (at least, to my understanding of what they told me). Your case worker will usually set up your therapy appointment for you, and some come back to Forest View to meet with a nurse after about 2 weeks.
Other?
Just remember this isn’t meant to be a long-staying program but rather gets you started on the right path.
When were you there?: Multiple times in PHP in 2018, and October 2018 for IP. This review is for IP
Describe the average day:
Someone would come in 2x week for blood draws at about 5:30 am
8am was meds and breakfast. If you eat 100% for 24 hours, you’re allowed in support meals. If not, you just eat in the lounge while a nurse watches you. You have 45 minutes for each meal.
9 am: General group on the unit, usually DBT or a topic group
10 am: Pulled by the ED program coordinator for group and snack. Snacks you have 15 minutes for.
11-11:30-ish: Back to your unit for more groups
12 pm: Lunch
12:45-2:00: ED group
2:00: Snack
2:15: Groups and free time back on the unit
5 pm: Dinner. Staffing can be iffy, so a majority of the time, dinners aren’t a supported meal, and are just eaten in the lounge while everyone else (non-ED patients) goes to the cafeteria.
6 pm: Rec time/ free time
8 pm: Wrap-up group, meds
What were meals like?: As stated before, you have to eat 100% for 24 hours before you get into support meals. You start out on trays, where you don’t see your meal plan or have any say in what foods you get. Breakfasts and lunches are supported meals, while dinner is just in the lounge. Staff was good at getting conversation going and are good at cutting ED talk when it comes up. You rate your hunger and feelings before/after meals.
What sorts of foods were available or served? I mean, considering it’s an ED program and hospital food, the meals weren’t horrible. You’re allowed 3 dislikes that can be pretty broad, which I appreciated. Breakfasts were things like eggs, toast, cereal, pancakes, etc. Lunches and dinners varied from everything from sandwiches to lasagna to tacos. Dessert was every day at lunch when your meal plan hit that level.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?: Yes, 1 Ensure for 50% or more completion, 2 for less than 50%, and 1 for snack. They’re really on it when it comes to supplementing- even if it’s for 1 packet of jelly, you have to eat it or you’ll get an Ensure.
What privileges are allowed? Not a lot. It’s an inpatient ward in a psych hospital, so there’s no electronics, strings, etc. There’s 2x a day when you can use the communal phones, and visiting hours are 2x/week. Sometimes you get to go outside on the patio. Patients also go to the gym, but ED patients can’t because there’s 0 exercise allowed.
Does it work on a level system? Nope.
What sort of groups do they have? ED groups included art therapy, process group, body image, nutrition, etc. General unit groups have DBT, leisure, CBT, and art therapy.
What was your favorite group?: I loved art therapy.
What did you like the most?: The staff. Everyone who works with the ED program are so kind and considerate, but they still push you.
the ED program coordinator, is AMAZING. I loved her group in the morning.
What did you like the least?: I understand why this rule is in place, but you’re not allowed in your room for 2 hours after each meal/snack, and that got ridiculously frustrating. I also got very stir-crazy not seeing the outside world for a while.
Would you recommend this program?: If you need stabilization/short-term care, yes. There’s no individual therapy, so you don’t dive much into the causes of your ED- you need residential for that. But the staff tries their best to make it as positive experience as possible.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?: None.
What did people do on the weekends?: Practically nothing. The general unit had some groups, but there were only a couple. No ED groups or meals. A lot of people colored, read, watched tv, and napped.
Do you get to know your weight?: Nope, your blind-weighed in a gown.
How fast is the weight gain process?: I think anywhere between 1-3 lbs. a week depending on the person.
What kind of aftercare do they provide?: They have a PHP program that many people step down to, but if not, they still make sure you’re set up with an outpatient team.
What was the average age range?: It varies, but mostly early-mid twenties. There’s the occasional teen and older adult, but they’re not as common as college-aged patients
How many IP beds?: The hospital itself has 108 beds, so the have as many ED beds as necessary.
Not impressed at all. This place needs to be better inspected by the feds. They do everything but treat the root cause of a problem. They only care about collecting the insurance money and not the patients needs. The staff is beyond incompetent. Some of the so called professionals do not even speak English very well. How do you become a shrink without even being able to communicate with patient in their native language? They lie to the patient and the patients family about treatment. Good luck on getting a hold of the patient. They have this annoying message system that they use. Nobody there even gives the patient the message. They do not follow medical guidelines when it comes to patient medications. They will ignore your family doctors treatment plan for various conditions and follow their own guidelines. The only way I was able to get my loved one their correct medications was to keep complaining to head staff. This place is the worst care I could have ever imagined. Instead of making my loved one better they actually made the situation worse.
hated it
This is for the adult unit.
When were you there?: March 2015 for 3 weeks IP, then 3 weeks PHP, then immediately put back IP for relapsing for 7 1/2 weeks.
Describe the average day:I usually was woken up by the vitals guy at about 6-6:30, i forget his name but he was very nice. He would take my vitals, i’d go to the bathroom ( because you have to before getting weighed although no one checked so almost no one did, hell, even i didnt sometimes when i felt that i hadn’t gained and i was scared.) then id get weighed, and go back to sleep until 8. You totally have the option to stay up, shower, and do your makeup. most days i didnt just because i didnt feel like it. After I’d get woken up by one of the nurses or the MHW(Mental Health Worker, they check on you every 15 minutes), I’d go have breakfast immediately. You have 45 minutes to eat breakfast. Now, I was a special case. I didn’t eat breakfast in support meals, even when i was off trays because i didn’t like it. I asked if i could eat in the 200 Lounge because i felt more comfortable there, and they let me. So If I was off of trays, (which was only a very short amount of time) I would go grab my breakfast with the self select girls, and come back and eat in the lounge and watch tv. Usually cartoons, lol. After breakfast, You have group therapy with the Case worker. Group therapy was nice, I actually got a lot out of that group-usually.after that was morning snack. you have 20 minutes to finish snack. Then after snack was usually DBT or something, but I wasn’t much of a group goer. So I usually chilled with some friends who were also skipping groups (because they were awful 99% of the time). Then lunch. Again, 45 minutes. Then on I believe it was on tuesdays and thursdays was Nutrition group. Then there wad either free time, or some other group, which still meant free time to me, until snack. again, 20 minutes. Then on I believe wednesdays was body image group, on other days it was another group meshed in with the other psych patients. Body Image group was fantastic. Is a Then, dinner. again, 45 minutes. Then its complete free time. Usually this is when a lot of anxiety fills the ED patients because we have now finished three full meals. so theres a lot of pacing (which isn’t allowed) or a lot of meds being passed because of anxiety. Oh, and im not 100% sure on when all of the med pass times where, i only had as needed mediation except for in the morning for my vitamins. And after dinner it was just chill with your friends time basically. Also, after every meal AND SNACK your room is closed and locked for 2 full hours. they will take that shit to the minute. but once its open you can go have a shower, make phone calls, whatever you want really. Phones worked like this: they were on inbetween groups, during mealtimes, and all the time after 4 o’ clock until 11. Most of the time they will give you a warning when they will shut them off if they see you on the phone, but not always. Then you’d have night snack, if you are given it. Some people don’t have night snack. completely individual. again 20 minutes, but they are WAY more lenient on that snack because all of the other general psych patients get snack too, so the nurses stay busy. When you’re eating snack, they need to be eaten in front of the nurses station, or by a nurse. Thats kind of my friends fault, when I first arrived at FV they didnt make us do that and we could eat by ourselves, but they watched the video cameras one day and saw that she kept throwing hers away. Im guilty of that too. so they changed up the rules. sorry. 🙁 And uh, yeah. Thats it. I’ll explain what a typical day on BED REST and TUBED is like at the very end, if you are interested in how that works.
What were meals like?: They were gross most of the time. Most ED’s were on trays, so you have no say in what you want except fro 3 dislikes, and if you have 3 allergies, those count as dislikes. but i somehow got away with having 5, and you can easily get away with switching out food with other patients, or say, if you have spaghetti, or pizza, since the sauce has tomatoes in it, and tomatoes were a dislike, you can switch it out for a sandwich of your choice. I did that a looootttttt. But, if you eat 100% of your food until you reach your maximum “upgrades” of how much food youll get, you get put on self select. GET THERE ASAP MAN. self select is so fucking nice. Also, Most ED’s would eat meals in Support meals, with only ED patients and one or two monitors. I hated them, so i wouldn’t go. They don’t tell you that’s an option, but it is.
What sorts of foods were available or served?: Well, they did have a menu so even if you are on trays you have a one in three chance of getting what you want. It’s always completely random. Theres always three choices for each meal and every the menu changes every week, but rotates every three. Breakfast usually consisted of cereals: lucky charms, cheerios, froot loops, rice krispies. Or oatmeal, eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, fruit like bananas, grapes, melon, strawberries, or blackberries. sometimes watermelon. Also sausage, nuts, grits (DONT GET THE GRITS UNLESS YOU GET BROWN SUGAR DO NOT FORGET BROWN SUGAR!!) And if you are on self select you can get up to two cups of coffee a day. Lunches were usually simple, sandwiches, pizza, salads, chicken and rice, stuff like that. Dinners were traditional american dishes usually, like burgers, more pizza, spaghetti, a lot of noodly dishes, veggies, bread. Snack where almost always the same. Always a grain and a dairy.Grains consisted of bran muffins, teddy grahms, or plain saltine crackers, 3 packs of them. and if youre lucky, vanilla waffers or a nutrigrain bar. one time i got cereal, which was a nice change. Dairy was almost ALWAYS milk or string cheese, but sometimes it would just be two full slices of american cheese on a plate, or a bowl of cottage cheese.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?: Yuck, it was ensures. For me, because I didn’t gain the way they wanted my to, it was for 50% of less, 3 full ensures(thats 24 ounces) 75% or less 2 full ensures, and anything less than 100% 1 full ensure. but most of the time its 50% or less, 2 but more than 50% is 1.
What privileges are allowed?: Well you can call people pretty often. Thats nice. Cable tv is provided, again very nice. You get “fresh air breaks” but its just in a small court yard but when i was there they were working on expanding it, so its probably a lot bigger now. They would bring out the radio and play music, that was refreshing. You could color, do puzzles, and if you asked the 100 desk for the binder of coloring pages, they will print out which ever ones you choose. They have a yoga class you can go to if you get approved. but its mainly breathing and stretching. That’s about it.
Does it work on a level system?: Nope, unless you count trays/self select but not really.
What sort of groups do they have?: group therapy, art therapy at night(LOVED that), DBT, Nutrition, yoga, body image. And you are always welcome to go to any general group, but i dont know those ones very well since i didnt go to them.
What was your favorite group?: Art therapy by far, we got to listen to music and do art and i just felt like i was an actual person. It was nice. also body image, extremely helpful if you have issues with how you see yourself.
What did you like the most?:A few staff members, specifically nurse B he was AWESOME, and the med nurse who for some reason i cant remember her name and she was y all time favorite. weird. Idk but she has short dark brown hair with glasses and she was always there to comfort me and listen to me. I loved her. other than those few staff members, body image group was good too. everything else.. nope.
What did you like the least?: the ED psychiatrist.
Would you recommend this program?: HELL NO. nononononnono!! If you have no where else to go and you are relapsing or dying and really need help yes go but if you have other options, please for your own sanity’s sake please go somewhere else. I have legitimate mental trauma cause from forest view, I drove past it the other day, stopped and went into the parking lot just to look at it. I had a huge panic attack and my fiance had to get me the hell out of there and get me a coffee to make me zone back into the real world and realize im not there and its okay. I freaked. That place is like that kind of shit you see in movies. It’s terrible. the only good thing about it was they made sure i didnt die. thats all i can say really.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?:nope, couldn’t even shoot a couple hoops of basket ball in the gym.
What did people do on the weekends?: nothing. There were no ed groups, only general groups and those sucked. Mainly colored, watched tv, listened to music on the tv channel, made a lot of phone calls. thats about it.
Do you get to know your weight?: Nope. You can ask van haren or your dieticiaan if you are on the right track or not, but thats it. no numbers. Knowing wold just harm your recovery anyway.
How fast is the weight gain process?: Completely individualized. I took 6 full months. some people took over a year. and some people took a little over 3 months. depends on your needs and where you are in recovery honestly.
What kind of aftercare do they provide?: PHP, but thats a joke honestly. its just a few ED groups, you only go a couple days a week, Drink unlimited coffee throughout the day and ((% of the girls threw out their snacks. so yeah, that wasnt helpful at all.
What was the average age range?: 18+ literally ranges completely. every age is there besides like, 80. i had a 70 year old roommate. It varies. but most ED’s are 18-mid thirties. sometimes older though.
How many IP beds?: honestly I dont know. There wasn’t even a guarantee that there were other ed patients there. so you may be the only one besides php.
How do visitations work?: Last names beginning with A-L have Tuesdays and Fridays, M-Z have Thursdays and Saturdays. All times being from 6-8pm. You can get open visitation if you want, but good luck. it has to go through your case worker and van haren.
Okay, so bed rest and tubing. YES THEY HAPPEN. I was on bed rest with 3 other girls, and its awful. Tubing is worse though. it. is not. just a threat. THEY WILL DO IT. PLEASE JUST EAT!! The tubing was terrible because when you dont finish your food, and if you dont finish your ensure in time, they take a huge syringe and shove it all down your tube all at once. i once had to do about 20 ounces, after i had half my meal and couldn’t finish it because i felt like i was going to throw up. I have an extreme fear of throwing up, which is what started my eating disorder. I get scared that everything i eat will make me sick so i dont eat it. I have a lot of other issues that comes a long with it, but that started it. But they took that full 20 Ounces, NOT 20 ML. and they pushed it all through my tube, with my fiance during my visitation time. I screamed in excrutiating pain and they wouldnt stop, it hurt so bad i can express it. They grabbed arms and pinned me down and held Drew back as he cried and watched me scream in agony. It was traumatizing, for both of us. Afterwards, i couldn’t stop crying. I sat in my wheel chair (because on bedrest you dont get to walk) and was sobbing into his arms and this bitch nurse, sue, came in and said “if you don’t stop crying and making noise im going to make him leave.” Drew almost punched her.. it was bad. I called her a cunt and asked her if she wanted to get 20 ounces of liquid put into her stomach at once after she’d already eaten, and then ask her how she feels, and she walked away. It was fucking terrifying and afwul beyond what my words are describing to you. Okay so now with bed rest, #1. You cant walk. not to make your bed, not to get up to the drinking fountain thing, not even from the quiet room to the nurses station. no exceptions except for showering, and even then they may make you use a shower stool. I didn’t have to, but other patients have. #2 you are no longer allowed to sleep or use your room for anything besides storage. and showering. You have to sleep in the quiet room and stay in the quiet room all day long. no lounges, no hanging out with other patients, nothing. #3 you only get 1 phone call per shift. thats two a day, because third shift the phones are off. and they are limited to only 15 minutes. #4 no fresh air breaks. #5 someone has to be in the bathroom with you while you shower. #6 they watch you on the monitor 24/7. there is a camera in the quiet room and you have no say in it. constant eyes on you. #7 you can ONLY have ED materials in there with you. No drawing, no reading anything except ED books and a bible, no crosswords, or coloring, or puzzles. Nothing. Now, a lot of these rules get broken, on a daily basis. Mainly because most nurses do not give a flying fuck. I once had a wheelchair race down the hall way with the other bed rested girl, and it was so fun! after wards, we rolled into the lounge and watched movies. we colored together, ate at the nurses station together, and got to talk. All of those things could only happen of course, during nights when there were good nurses. some will not let you even toss and turn in the bed too much. it’s pretty insane. you also aren’t even supposed to wheel yourself, you have to be wheeled by a staff member constantly. toooootal bullshit. cant tell you how many times that rule went out the window. But yup, that’s it. It was hell. I transferred after being mistreated and constantly being verbally abused by one of the nurses, her name was Nicole, fucking cunt, and i transferred out of state. It was the best decision i ever made. Please, if you are even still reading this, do yourself a favor and never. step foot. in Forest View. They will do you nothing but harm. please, find another place your insurance covers. Contact me with any questions you may have. good luck to you.
I was with this lovely girl at the same time and I was the one doing wheelchair races with her. This was my first eating disorder treatment center. I didn’t realize how terribly I was being treated until I went somewhere that gave a shit about me. If you can’t eat 100% you’re not allowed to go to eating disorder groups. They also made me sit in the hallway by myself and eat in a gown because I admitted I was struggling with hiding food. Everything was crap. I was going to sign out AMA but the psychiatrist said if I took back the form, he’d just discharge me. I don’t think he liked that I was threatening to call to report the hospital for all the abuse. They still operate in this same manner. I went again in 2020 because it was my only option during COVID and that was a god awful mistake. If I couldn’t finish a meal, the nurse was always mean and catty about needing to put ensure down my NG. They didn’t care the temperature of the Ensure either even though cold fluids hurt and lukewarm fluids are better. They ended up discharging a girl when I was there who was struggling with purging instead of helping her. She died a few months later because of her eating disorder.
I’ve avoided this place for years, but I’m running out of options and my insurance won’t cover me to go to res anywhere or treatment outside of MI. I just got out of IP recently (general psych at Chelsea but they were understanding of EDs), and they sent me to PHP at New Oakland CERV but I’m so resistant to gaining weight and have so much brain fog, the therapy part wasn’t sticking and I discharged ama after two days ?. They kept suggesting going to FV but the thought of it scares me. I went to Havenwyck before and that place is made of nightmares.
Do you think this place would honestly be worth going to just to gain weight / gain back mental strength and then continue with IOP or something? Or does it do way more harm than good? Nurses at Havenwyck made awful comments to ED patients, idk if I can deal with that again
I’m mentally prepared to be tubed and all that, just scared of gaining weight and not having the support to deal with the mental side of things, or being berated by staff and them making it worse
Does anyone have any thoughts? I’m really at the end of my wits here 🙁
Personally, it did way more harm than good for me. But it has helped some people too. I feel like everyone will have a different experience based off of their eating disorder needs and what this place provides. Also, I know a lot has changed since I was there. New doctors and a whole new separate unit. It could be way better now that things have changed. Good luck on your recovery and I wish you the best with wherever you go!
When were you there: Summer 2014 (PHP) and Aug 2015 (IP)
How many patients on average? Around 2-7 IP and then anywhere from a few to 15 PHP. It really depends, I’ve been one of five total patients and also one of 20
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined. Yes they treat both and combined, although I’ve only ever had one boy there with me
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Psychiatrist is daily, dietitian is usually every day but weekends, your case worker you meet one on one a few times a week
Describe the average day: weights/vitals, breakfast, morning ED group, either dietition or rec therapy group with ED patients, lunch. After lunch the PHP EDs leave and then there are a few general groups, aternoon snack, dinner, snack, bed. All groups but ED are optional.
What were meals like? You start out on trays where you aren’t able to choose. In general, they increase pretty slowly which is nice. Sel select is when you’ve eaten well and then you get a menu and pick what you want per your meal plan. You eat with all ED patients and two staff members which usually include a dietitian if not both. You can’t talk about food. You’re expected to finish everything.
What sorts of food were available or served? It varried. Some examples are pizza, fish, lasagna, pizza, burger, etc. Typical hospital food.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes they supplement with ensure (really ensure plus but when I was there the comnpany sent the wrong kind). 50% or less of everything is 2 ensures, and more than 50% is one.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? You get ensures as above. If you don’t comply you can get forced IP (if in partial), asked to leave the program, or end up with a tube. The doctor really doesn’t mess around.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes they were pretty accomidating
What privelages are allowed? Not really much. It’s a psych ward. You were able to use phones and have visitors but that’s about it.
Does it work on a level system? The only level is trays vs self select
What sort of groups do they have? nutrition, ED process, meditation, med ed, DBT, rec therapy, nutrition, art therapy
What was your favorite group? nutrition
What did you like the most? the dietitians, some of the staff, art
What did you like the least? the doctor, the new ED program head is absolutely terrible, its more for stabilization than recovery
Would you recommend this program? Yes if you are medically unstable and need refeeding but not for true recovery
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? none for ED patients
What did people do on weekends? There are a few groups but mostly just sit around or have visitors
Do you get to know your weight? no
How fast is the weight gain process? it’s pretty slow since they’re good about increasing slowly
What was the average length of stay? PHP is usually at least a month and IP 1-4 weeks
What was the average age range? I’ve been with 12-60. It depends but I’d say average is teens to 30
How do visits/phone calls work? phone calls whenever during non group times. There can be a wait though. Visit is 2x per week 630-8
Are you able to go out on passes? no
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? They will usually step you down to PHP if you’re close by. If not they require you to be set up with a treatment team before discharge
I have never had a worse experience with an eating disorder facility than this one. This place is a joke. I did everything I needed to, and I still didn’t gain weight. The food was awful, and most staff were complete dick heads to you and treat you like you’re stupid for having an eating disorder. As it was the only option for inpatient eating disorder treatment in Michigan, I had no choice but to go there. I made great friends with the other ed girls but the overall experience was by far the worst thing I’ve experienced. Van Haren, the Ed doctor, is a fucking asshole and Im so glad I transferred. After being put in solitary confinement for 6 1/d2 weeks and not allowed to walk at ALL (I had to use a wheel chair), I really really hated that place. And I did NOTHING to deserve to get put there. Their reasoning was to make me gain weight quicker and to only focus on my eating disorder. I wasn’t allowed books, journals, or any kind of assignment besides eating disorder related material. It was brutal. After a total of FOURTEEN WEEKS in treatment there, I got so fed up I set up a transfer to Eating Recovery Center in Denver Colorado. Although it’s far, this place has been amazing. I made more progress here in my first two weeks here than I did my entire stay at forest view. So, if you are able to, GO TO ANOTHER FACILITY. I know some people really can’t because of financial reasons, and if that’s the case, then I would say go to FV. Just because it is better than nothing, but just warning you, that you WILL fucking hate it. Out of the literal dozens of people I met there, I cannot say that I met even one person that said that place helped their eating disorder. if you’re really looking for real treatment, I highly recommend ERC in Denver. I am currently in treatment and have been here for almost ten weeks and I’ve made so much progress. I didn’t think I would ever get this close to recovery. I hope you all can get to this point too. And if you have to go to forest view, I wish you the best of luck and I hope your experience was better than mine and everyone I met there
When were you there?: Multiple times most recently Sept-Nov 2014
Describe the average day:
6:00-6:30 twice a week someone would come in and draw blood
6:30-7am vitals and weight.
8am support breakfast
9am back to your unit for meds
9:30am-11pm is group therapy
10:30am snack.
11-12pm was typically nutrition group or body image group
12pm Support lunch
Sometimes they have a group after lunch
2:30pm Snack
5pm Support dinner
After lunch there really wasn’t that many eating disorder groups if any you were supposed to go to general groups on your unit but most of us in the adult unit would just journal. In the evening you would have work room which is where you can just go in and do art projects, it’s really nice
Visiting hours are 6:30-8:30pm 2x a week.
What were meals like?: All of the ED patients eat together, they have gotten much better with doing supported meals so we typically eat every meal together each day. Sometimes they don’t on the weekends though because it’s less structure and a lot of sneaking around happens and it tends to be more overwhelming. You start out on trays where they choose your food for you according to your meal plan. You are allowed 3 dislikes and if they are on your tray they will replace them with something else. You are on trays typically until the dietitian has incorporated all of your increases. They go by exchanges so like at lunch I would have to have 3 grains, 3 protein, 2 fruit, 1 vegetable and 2 fats (one of which had to be a dessert) the meal plans are very individualized and they are based on how much weight you have to gain or if you don’t have to gain they will make out a maintenance meal plan for you. It was pretty rare that people didn’t have to gain though. After you are up to your full meal plan they will have you check trays which means that they will give you a copy of your meal plan and when your tray comes you will check to see if it’s right you are on that for a day or two. Then you move up to self-select where you go to the cafeteria and get to make your tray according to your meal plan. Its a lot nicer because you have more choices but gets a bit overwhelming especially if you have a large meal plan. If you are dropping weight or restricting they may drop you back to trays but it doesn’t happen all that often.
What sorts of foods were available or served? The food was actually pretty decent most of the time, especially for hospital food. It varied a lot, they would have basic homestyle food and then some days they would have ethnic foods there is a big variety. When you get your trays you usually get a lot of butter for your others and you would have a dessert a lunch and possibly a dessert at dinner if you have a lot of others (fats/desserts) on your meal plan.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?: Yes. 1 ensure for 50% or more of meal, 2 for less than 50%. 1 ensure for snacks. They we really strict on it, i’ve literally had to lick a butter packet clean so I wouldn’t have to do an ensure. If you refuse ensure multiple times they WILL tube you, this isn’t like some places where they threaten and don’t follow through. I have been tubed there multiple times and you are automatically put on bedrest if you have a tube.
What privileges are allowed? None really, you are in a general psych unit with an ED wing so you cant have laces, sharps, electronics, and such. You can make phone calls on their phones as long as its not during group
Does it work on a level system? When you were on bedrest you were, if you are tubed and on bedrest you have 5 days, your first day of bedrest you cant go to any groups, you are moved up to day 2 if you complete all your meals 100% and dont drop weight, same with day 3, day 4, and day 5 and each day you move up you are allowed to go to more groups and have more phone calls. If you don’t finish meals or drop weight you could be on day 4 and they would drop you down to day 1 depending on the severity. I once spent 23 days on bedrest and it was horrible. Do your very best to comply and they will work with you and you will get ALOT more out of the program. Otherwise the only “levels” they have is trays and self select.
What sort of groups do they have? There are ED groups throughout the week, such as body image, nutrition, group therapy, art therapy, etc. They really have improved there groups and they are a lot more in depth and helpful than they were before. The weekends are terrible for groups (at least on the adult side) because there were no ED groups aside from supported meals and the general psych groups weren’t very helpful unless you had anger issues or were suicidal. It was a bit overwhelming around the other patients but they have the units set up at least a little bit better now.The ED patients usually watch a lot of tv and do a lot of journaling on the weekends.
What was your favorite group?: This time around the majority of the ED groups were actually REALLY helpful, I don’t have a favorite per say but the body image groups usually had a lot of impact on me.
What did you like the most?: The groups this time around were great, as were the new case manager and dietitian. They actually cared and the case manager will meet with you if you need to talk unlike past ones. I really liked the workroom in the evenings as well.
What did you like the least?: Dr.V is incredibly harsh, don’t get me wrong he is a great doctor but he is very blunt and doesn’t mess around. Also sometimes he says things that are very inappropriate and rude to say especially in a clinical setting. Overall he is a good doctor and does his job well, but his personality tends to clash with a lot of the ED patients.
Would you recommend this program?: Yes and no, if you have access to a residential program out of state I highly recommend you go with that instead. But if this is your only option due to insurance or you have to stay in the state of Michigan than yes I would recommend it. It has improved tremendously and I have a feeling it will continue to improve and become a great program. It has its downfalls like all programs do but I feel like they are finally trying to make a change their and it is improving a lot.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?: None, exercise was not allowed, sometimes there was yoga but you had to be cleared and a lot of times it was during ED groups so you couldn’t go anyway. If you pace too much they will ask you to sit down.
What did people do on the weekends?: Be bored, have visitors if its your day, journal, watch tv, go to groups (although we seldom went to the weekend groups) go to workroom, sometimes they would play bingo.
Do you get to know your weight?: Nope you have blind weights, they weigh you in a gown and will check to make sure you arent wearing anything underneath. Also if you are caught water loading they will lock your bathroom door at night and you wont be allowed to have cups in your room.
How fast is the weight gain process?: It varies and it’s hard to know when you do blind weights but it seemed to be pretty standard 2-3lbs a week and they will let you know if you dropped or if you are on target but wont tell you numbers
What kind of aftercare do they provide?: They have a partial program if you are nearby, otherwise they set you up with an outpatient team
What was the average age range?: It varied a lot but adults and adolescents were in separate units (we all had ED groups together though) the last time I was there was about 5-7 teenagers from 15-17 and then most of the adults were early 20’s sometimes there is older or younger though
How many IP beds?: I’m not sure, it is a general psych hospital and they had an adult female wing, adult male wing, adolescent wing, and a wing for psychotic patients. When I was there though they were in the middle of building a new eating disorders wing. Usually in the ED program there is typically 5-15 people between inpatient and partial.
A couple of questions:
1. Will they allow a vegetarian diet?
2. Who is typically put on bed rest? Does it just depend on your weight?
3. Do you know in what cases they typically use tubes (other than refusal to eat)
1. I know with the old dietitian you had to be vegetarian for 3 years before coming into treatment in order for them to let you have a vegetarian diet. But the new dietitian seems to be more lenient, you get 3 dislikes and so technically you could put meat as a dislike. When I was there I had red meat as a dislike and they honored that. If she does think that you are using it to restrict, she will challenge you on it and may ask you to try meat but that doesn’t normally happen.
2. If you are very underweight and have a lot of medical issues they will put you on bedrest, but it’s not extremely common, a lot of times what they will do is just have you in a wheelchair and you have to be taken everywhere but you can still go to groups and participate. Also if you have a tube they will 100% have you on bedrest, there has only been one situation out of all the times i’ve been there that had the tube and was still allowed to attend groups.
3. Typically its only when you are refusing to eat. I’ve never seen someone get tubed that was trying to eat. You have to be somewhat medically stable to be admitted here so if you really need a tube (due to labs, vitals, weight, etc) a lot of times you will be hospitalized in a medical hospital and then transferred here once you are more medically stable.
If you have anymore questions feel free to email me at alexisstocking@gmail.com 🙂
POSTED FROM A RECENT CONSUMER:
When were you there?: Dec 2011-Jan 2012 (a little over 2 weeks) and Dec 2012-Jan 2013 (3 weeks) both times were adult IP. I would say average length of stay for ED patients in around 2 weeks…It depends on your compliancy/willingness to work on recovery and severity medically. You have to be medically stable for this program, but people still have medical complications sometimes.
Describe the average day:
Someone would come in around 5am for blood draws 2x a week normally, unless there is a reason for more.
6:30-7am vitals and weight.
8am breakfast
Groups go on from 9:30-3pm usually.
10:30am snack.
12pm lunch
2:30pm Snack
5pm dinner
There is work room some time in the evening (after dinner), which is basically just doing art projects if you want.
Visiting hours are 6:30-8:30pm 2x a week.
What were meals like?: ED patients start on trays and you eat in the lounges for breakfast and dinner, which is not real supervised. During the week there is “support lunch†where all the ED patients eat with one of the AT therapists, case manager, or Liz (dietician). If you are throwing away stuff or Van Haren (doctor) thinks you are, he will write an order for you to eat at the nurses station. Closer to the end of your stay as you get close to transitioning to partial or out patient, you go on “self-select†so you can choose your food based on your meal plan and exchanges.
What sorts of foods were available or served? When you’re on trays you get mostly the main meal stuff and a lot of butter for your “othersâ€. 😛 You have dessert once a day, always at lunch. The desserts were really the only tolerable food taste wise, but of course usually he the hardest for ED patients. The first time I was there, the food wasn’t great, but for hospital food it was okay and pretty tolerable. This last time, it was awful. I’m not sure why because the same person is in charge of the kitchen and a lot of the same people worked there. Once you’re on “self-select†it is a bit better because you have a few more choices.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?: Yes. 1 ensure for 50% or more of meal, 2 for less than 50%. 1 ensure for snacks. It was a bit ridiculous because you would be forced to drink an whole ensure for 4 bites of chicken and if you did not drink it or drink all of it, it would be written down as a refusal. After a certain number of refusals, you will get threatened with a tube. If you have any more refusals, Van Haren will order the tube immediately, no questions asked. I speak from personal experience and it is miserable, so if you go there, do not think he won’t follow through.
What privileges are allowed? Not really. Its an IP psych unit, so all of those rules apply (no strings, belts, laces, electronics, etc). You can go out on the patio during a certain time. There are two phones for patients to use during non-programing time…I can’t really think of anything else. It’s annoying because not everyone needs those restrictions, but understandable since its an IP psych facility.
Does it work on a level system? No. I guess trays vs. “self-select†could be seen as levels, but other than that no. Sometimes people were on bed rest.
What sort of groups do they have? There are ED groups that are only on week days (nutrition, body image, group therapy, art therapy…that’s all I can remember.) On the weekends the ED patients are supposed to go to the general groups with other patients (on the adult unit you don’t have to go if you don’t want, its your treatment so its up to you), but those were pretty typical kind of groups as well (group therapy, health and wellness, med ED, anger management, etc.)
What was your favorite group?: I don’t really have one. It really depended on what the ED program (adult, adolescent, and partial) looked like in terms of patients. Groups could be decent and productive or negative and at times triggering. The therapists do there best to keep people from saying anything triggering.
What did you like the most?: One of the nurses was really awesome and great to talk to. So it was a nice relief to just sit and chat in the evenings with her if she was working. The dietician is really good, I was just pretty obstinate when I was there this time (more so than last time). I found that she was most helpful though when I was really feeling in crisis. She pushed me to talk when I was upset instead of shutting off like usual. The ED doctor…He is a good doctor and always has patient’s best interest in mind, but he is very blunt and straight forward. He can be a bit short and pushy instead of listening to everything you have to say, in which case you should talk to his nurse about your concerns. I have somewhat of a grudge against him for putting a tube down me, so I don’t have really positive memories of him.
What did you like the least?: There were some nurses who didn’t fully understand ED’s and that was frustrating, though I tried to remember they were doing there best; however, there was one nurse in particular who was very rude to patients across the board and there was not excuse for the way she treated people. She was very condescending. IM (internal medicine) was not seeing patients in a timely manner, but hopefully that will change soon. I’m pretty sure we were given crackers and cheese for snack about 3-5 times a week, so that got old quickly. During non-ED programing times there was a lot of down time and that is hard. You could go to general groups, but those were not always real helpful and sometimes it was scary going off of the 400 unit. Also, ED patients cannot go to the bathroom with in 2hrs of meals unless someone flushes for them. I have no problem with this, but the recently changed the rule so that someone has to be in the bathroom with you. I was not okay with this, so I would just hold it if the nurse said she had to be in there, but luckily a lot of them would just stand outside and/or flush for you.
Would you recommend this program?: If it is the only option because of insurance or other reasons, yes. Otherwise, I would say its best to try to go to a place the completely specializes in EDs. When I was there, there was only 4 other ED patients on the unit, 3 of which came and left in the time I was there. The rest were trauma or general patients, so that can be really difficult and lonely, but other patients try to be understanding and non-judgemental. The ED staff has good knowledge of EDs, but the support staff doesn’t always.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?: None. If there was yoga (usually only 1-2x a week max), ED patients can do that, but its not in anyway intense. ED patients are not allowed to participate during gym time. If you pace too much, you will be told to find something else to do.
What did people do on the weekends?: Be extremely bored. Like I said, there are general groups, but I tended to not go to many of those. Otherwise you just watch TV, read, color, make phone calls, and eat a lot.
Do you get to know your weight?: No, blind weights in a gown, and they will check to make sure you aren’t hiding anything underneath it.
How fast is the weight gain process?: I think anywhere between 1-3 lbs. a week depending on the person.
What kind of aftercare do they provide?: A lot of people go into PHP afterwards which is from 8-3:30pm I think…I’m not sure because I did not do PHP b/c of how far away I lived. After IP or PHP they set you up with and OP team.
What was the average age range?: 18 and up the 400 unit. The first time I was there it was mostly college age students and a few adolescents with 1 or 2 older women. The second time it was mostly college age at the beginning and then mostly adolescents at the end. There are people who are 30+ though, so its designed for any age
How many IP beds?: The 400 unit has a mix of ED, trauma, and general patients. It is the “high functioning†unit, so people who are acutely psychotic or can’t function normally are not on that unit. It is nice because most of the people on the unit are very “normal†so you aren’t always nervous about something happening. There are 22 beds total, but ED patients it complete depends on the need. The first time, there were about 4 of us on the unit the whole time I was there. When I came in the second time there were no others on the unit (partial and adolescents came down to the unit for ED groups), but 3 people came and left and 1 was still there when I left. That’s just ED patients, the unit was full most of the time I was there with other patients. I would guess that at any given time there are an average of 2-6 ED patients on the IP adult unit. There are usually quite a few other in partial or adolescent unit.
While my review isn’t super recent (I was there almost exactly 3 years ago), at least you can hopefully get an idea of what the adult unit is like. Although I know things have changed since I was there.
When were you there?: November 2008 (3 weeks inpatient, 1 week partial). I would say the typical stay is 2-4 weeks for ED patients. The other patients tend to stay about a week. It’s a general psych unit so you are mixed with all different diagnoses, although they just built a new wing for eating disorder and trauma patients I believe.
Describe the average day: Someone would come in around 5am for blood draws almost every morning. We had weights every day around 6:30 I think? Sorry it’s hard to remember. Bathrooms were unlocked at this time so you could shower. You could also go back to bed until breakfast if you wanted. Meds/vitals. Short goals group. Breakfast. Group. Snack. Group. Lunch. Group. Snack. Dinner. Pointless group. Free time. Bed whenever you wanted pretty much. Usually around 10. This is just from memory so it might not be totally accurate.
What were meals like?: ED patients start on “trays” and have to eat in the lounges. It’s not really supervised, or at least it wasn’t while I was there. Lots of sneaky stuff going on because no one was even in the room to monitor. You have to show your tray to a nurse at the end of the meal, but there was lots of throwing away food, rituals, hiding food, etc. without ever getting caught. A few times a week there was a meal support thing where we would eat a meal with the dietitian so that was actually monitored. Meals are not timed. If you eat 100% of 3 consecutive meals (and they think you are ready) you can be on “self select.” This is where you go to the cafeteria and pick out your own food and eat with the other patients.
What sorts of foods were available or served?: Patients on “trays” have zero say in what they are served. You are allowed 3 dislikes but you are expected to eat what you are served outside of substituting for dislikes. The portions are pretty doable. It’s typical hospital food but it’s actually pretty good. Breakfast could be cereal, toast, yogurt, fruit, bagel with peanut butter, ham, oatmeal, cream of wheat, eggs, pancakes, French toast, milk, juice, etc. Lunch could be something like a turkey sandwich, tacos, pasta. Dinner was things like chicken, rice, vegetables, potatoes, etc. Snacks included yogurt, cereal, string cheese, crackers, cottage cheese. It is 10 times better when you get to self select in the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, you can choose from the salad bar, fresh fruit, additional entrees. No one monitors you in the cafeteria so you are on your honor, although you are given a list of how many exchanges you are supposed to be eating. But if you lose weight you are likely to find yourself back on trays.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?: Yes. People on maintenance and most bulimics were required to eat 90%. People who needed to gain had to eat 100% or you would get a supplement. They supplement with Ensure. If you eat less than your expected amount (either 90% or 100%) you get 1 can. If you eat less than 50% of the meal you were supposed to get 2 cans but often the nurses forgot. They loved to threaten with tubing, but I never saw anyone get tubed.
What privileges are allowed? Not much of anything. It’s a psych hospital so no strings, no shoelaces, no sharps whatsoever. There is a small courtyard, but it was snowing while I was there. No smoking. No cell phones or electronics. Visitors are Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6:30-8:30. There are phones by the nurses station for use during free time.
Does it work on a level system?: No, with the exception of “trays” vs. “self select.” Occasionally people were on bed rest. Everyone on ED protocol had their room locked for the duration of their stay from about 8am until about 8:30pm (since it always has to be 2 hours after eating). I heard this might be different now because us ED patients were complaining about not being able to go to our rooms all day long. So maybe they just lock the bathrooms now? I’m not sure. If you have to use the bathroom during the day someone will stand outside the door with the door cracked and also they will flush for you.
What sort of groups do they have?: I don’t remember much. Umm…nutrition, body image, goals, art therapy. Nothing life altering but not terrible either.
What was your favorite group?: I don’t remember.
What did you like the most?: Some of the other ED patients were really supportive. There were also some really great staff. The dietitian really pushed me to improve myself.
What did you like the least?: Some of the staff were very condescending. Two of them were downright scary (a psychiatrist and a nurse). Also, there was not enough monitoring during meals. I had to switch roommates a bunch of times but I guess that’s more of a minor annoyance.
Would you recommend this program?: No, but it’s better than nothing. Like the other poster said, it’s just a band-aid kind of place. And because they take a lot of involuntary patients, the attitude isn’t always very recovery-oriented. It depends on the group though. If you need the stabilization and can’t go out of state then I would say go for it.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?: Absolutely nothing. The other patients were allowed to play basketball and volleyball in the gym, use the exercise bike, etc. We had to sit and watch. I was often redirected for pacing too much.
What did people do on the weekends?: We were bored out of our minds! We did puzzles, colored, talked, and watched TV.
Do you get to know your weight?: No, blind weights in a gown.
How fast is the weight gain process?: It averaged out to about 3 pounds a week for me, but I’m sure it varies a lot.
What kind of aftercare do they provide?: Almost everyone goes to Partial after IP. And then they help you find an outpatient team if you don’t have one.
What was the average age range?: 18-65+ while I was there. Average was probably mid twenties for ED patients
How many IP beds?: It’s a general psych unit with an ED track so they don’t have a specific number of ED beds. But I would say there are typically around 10 ED patients at one time in IP.
Thanks for the review!! You’re correct, there is now a brand new wing exclusively for adult patients with EDs and/or trauma. I visited a friend here over the summer and there seemed to be more trauma patients than ED ones. Length of stay is 1-4 weeks usually. They pretty much want to see that you’re able to follow a meal plan on your own and be compliant/safe. If you’re very resistant I could see a longer length of stay, but they usually try to move people to partial sooner rather than later. The new wing is very nice looking…much nicer than the rest of the hospital. Visitors are 4 days a week, each half of the alphabet gets 2 of those days. If you go the the website (google it), it will tell you what days visitors are depending on your last name. For example, last name A-K get visitors Sunday and Thursday, last names L-Z get visitors Saturday and Friday (JUST an example, but thats kinda how it works). Little supervision during freetime in the evening…people just sit in the day room while staff is at the nurses station.
I didn’t know that ever existed! I was there in 2015 and 2020 and all the patients were mixed around the hospital depending on which beds are open. That sounds like it would’ve been better!