When were you there: Don’t exactly want to say, but twice last year for about 2 months at a time.

How many patients on average? It is on a mixed unit (adolescents with all different types of issues, ED’s are mixed into that but are seperated for meal times and certain groups), so there can be a maximum of 20 patients, but usually it is 15. There is usually about 3 ED patients, but it can be as little as one or as high as 7!

Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined. Yes, it treats both, and you are combined.

How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? EVERYDAY! There is a “team” time (about 8:30 AM-10 AM) when your whole team of doctors come into your room to chat for about 5 minutes. Throughout the day you meet individually with everyone.

What is the staff ratio to patients? about 1 staff for every two ED patients.

What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? There isn’t really CBT/DBT services used there. There are mostly general education groups (stress, depression, etc.) throughout the day.

Describe the average day:
6-7 AM: Woken up by a CNA, get bathroom unlocked, get gown, get weighed, take a shower (you get your OWN bedroom & private bathroom!)
8 AM: Breakfast in the kitchen ( you grab your tray(s) and go in there. Non-ED patients eat in the dining room, ED patients eat in the kitchen).
8:45 AM: Goals group
9-10 AM: Meet with the team in your room/continue your “sit” after meals in the lounge/dayroom.
10 AM: Craft group of exercise group
11 AM: General Education group (I was aloud to skip these because I was there for so long & they repeated every week. I would go to my room and work on homework because they don’t have a time put aside for schoolwork).
12 PM: Lunch in kitchen
12:45 PM: Relaxation group (15 minutes relaxation, 15 minutes relaxation activity)
1:15 PM: General Education Activity
2 PM: Snack time for non-ED patients (if your calories are high enough you might have a snack), otherwise you just watch them eat, go outside, or play games
2:30 PM: Room time
3 PM: Music Therapy
3:45 PM: Room time
4:30 PM: Nurse’s group of choice (usually games)
5:20 PM: Dinner in the kitchen
6 PM: Wrap-up group for your goals
7 PM: Movie or free time
9 PM: get ready for bed
10:30: Lights out

What were meals like? For the most part they were delicious! You got to pick out ANYTHING that you wanted off of the menus. The best things were the Apple Orchard Salads or the Pear Honey Salads! For breakfasts I LOVED their muffins or wheat bagels! But you could really order anything at anytime, you just had to write it in their menu slips. You would get Menu’s as to what was being served, you could pick as much as you want (the dietician actually wants you to pick lots of things so you have more choices), but there is also a binder that says everything you can write-in. It also tells how many calories/fat/protein are in everything, and the serving sizes. For a lot of things you have to measure them out with measuring spoons or use the food scale. Their program is STRICTLY calories. So you can eat WHATEVER you want, as long as it fits your calories. When you first go there, it depends on how much you were eating before. Usually the lowest they start on is 1,200 if you were heavily restricting. They increase you by 300 calories to co-incide with your weight gain (if you need to gain). I know people that had to go up to 4,800 calories. I had to get to 4,500. But don’t eat the same thing too often otherwise you can get put on restrictions. (ex. I ate too many sandwiches so I could only eat one a day). Also make sure to drink fluids, and get enough fat/protein grams in everyday otherwise you can get put on requirements which are no fun!

What sorts of food were available or served? EVERYTHING YOU COULD IMAGINE! Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Desserts, Fresh Fruits, Veggies, Baked Goods, Shakes, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegetarian Options, Gluten-Free Options, etc.! And everything has calorie counts so you know what to eat & how to fit it into your plan! You can also save things from prior meals in the fridge and then just heat them up for a different meal! And you can have your parents bring you foods as long as the calorie amounts are written on them!

Did they supplement? How did that system work? No. But they had Protein Smoothies (250-300 calories), and Carnation-Instant-Breakfast shakes (511 calories) that helped a lot.

What is the policy of not complying with meals? You get 45 minutes to select your meal & to finish eating it. If you didn’t finish, you get put on bed rest until your next meal. You can get put on bed rest even if you don’t clean the crumbs off of your plate!

Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes! They have a HUGE selection of vegetarian options! Even though I wasn’t a vegetarian, I had a lot of those options! They had Hummus Pitas, Falafels, Non-Chicken Salads, Veggie Burgers, Bean Dishes, Veggie Omeletes, PB & J’s, Grilled Cheese, etc! It’s so easy to eat HEALTHY foods there because you have the selection to eat what YOU want instead of having someone else pick something for you!

What privelages are allowed? After a few days, you can go outside, go off the unit, get “destination walks” (walks with your parents of nurse for either 30 or 60 minutes), get a physical therapist for 1 hour a day to exercise, get your ipod, get your laptop, unlocked bathroom, no more peeing in those measurement hats!, get unlocked closets, get passes with family (they usually want 3 meal passes before discharge), less of a “sit time” after meals (when you first get there it is usually 90 minutes, but it can go down to zero minutes!), Skip Groups, exercise with the group (yoga, p90x, etc.). The possibilities are endless! YOu can really get anything you want. They usually give you priveledges after you are successful with calorie increases.

Does it work on a level system? Kind of. When you first get there, you are “status A” which means you can’t leave the unit or go outside. After a few days you move up to “Status C” which means you can do both those things.

How do you earn privelages? You just ask! But like I said, you usually have to go a full day with being compliant on calorie increases!

What sort of groups do they have? Education Groups, Music Therapy, Nurses Choice, Pharmacy Group, Nutrition Group, Pet Therapy!

What was your favorite group? PET THERAPY!!

What did you like the most? How I could choose anything I wanted to eat, how the nurses aren’t aloud to comment on how you eat as long as you finish all your food(ex. food combinations), the other ED patients. The small size ( I feel like I get more ‘attention’ from the doctors so I can get more help). How I knew my weight the entire time I was there.

What did you like the least? How it’s mixed with basically a psych ward. The smallish kitchen.

Would you recommend this program? YES! I have been to 3 other programs and this was by-far the best because I felt like I had more control over things.

What level of activity or exercise was allowed? When you first get there, none. As you get more trust/calorie increases/weight gain, you can get yoga, destination walks, physical therapy, and passes!

What did people do on weekends? It isn’t really any different except there are no music or relaxation groups and your family can come more.

Do you get to know your weight? YES. You got to look at the scale every morning. It was in kg, though.

How fast is the weight gain process? They want about 1/2 pound everyday, so about 3 Pounds a week.

What was the average length of stay? The stays range from 3 weeks-16 weeks, but the average is usually 4-5 weeks.

What was the average age range? It’s a child/adolescent unit. (for the NON-ED patients it is 4-18.). For the ED patients, it is about 10-22 (you can be in it if you’re in college!!). But usually the ED patients are 15-19 years old.

How do visits/phone calls work? You can call your parents ANYTIME. You have to wait to see your parents a few days, though. After a few days, your parents can come and you can have a pass to the “atrium” which is a meeting room with really high ceilings, lots of comfy seating, TONS of plants, and computers. After a few weeks/weight gain, you can get passes and meal passes!

Are you able to go out on passes? YES! They typically like to have people go on 3 meal passes (you plan out all the calories with the dietician beforehand and review with parents) before you can leave.

What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? They set you up with them if you live close, otherwise you get set-up with an outpatient team by your house.

Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Out-of-state, YES. Out-of-country, YES.

Other: I really liked this program. The only thing is that you really need a LOT of support back at home when you get home. That is the main reason why I relapsed the first time. Now, almost a year later after my second time there, I am doing pretty well! I would definitely reccomend it! And if anyone has questions just ask and I will help!!