Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Eating Disorder Program is an eating disorder treatment center located in Columbus, Ohio. The NCH Eating Disorder Clinic treats children, adolescents, and young adults.
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!
When were you there?
multiple times between 2024-2025
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
inpatient
How many patients are there on average?
unsure; it is room-based treatment and there is no interaction w/ other patients
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
both
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
medical doctors daily, psychologist roughly 2x/week, and you do not see the nutritionist/dietitian.
you also have massage therapy, music therapy, child life specialists, recreational therapists, and occupational therapists come see you throughout the week. weekdays are full of people that can come help distract or pass the time.
Describe the average day:
weight & ortho vitals at 630-7 am
breakfast at 8 am
am snack at 10
lunch at 12
pm snack at 2
dinner at 6
hs snack at 8
vitals every 4 hours I think
doctors round between 8 and 10 am
weekends are a lot more boring bc there are no therapies/child life
What were meals like? What sorts of food were available or served?
hospital food but not bad. expect meals & snacks to start smaller & then increase each day you are there.
breakfast: pancakes, eggs, breakfast sandwich, oatmeal, fruit, etc.
lunch/dinner: sandwiches, chicken caesar salad, pasta, mac & cheese, chili, soups, burgers, etc.
snacks: yogurt, cereal, cake/brownie, oreos, veggies & hummus, etc.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Did they supplement? How did that system work?
I believe they supplemented by calculating the calories of what you didn’t eat & giving that many calories of supplement. if you refuse the supplement, they would eventually give it via an ng tube as a last resort.
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
I believe so
What privileges are allowed?
you get access to your tech the whole time & child-life/recreational therapists will bring you whatever you want to help pass the time
Does it work on a level system?
not really. I was only allowed to leave my room in a wheelchair accompanied by staff the whole time. depending on medical stability, you can eventually take short showers.
What did you like the most?
the hospital is wonderful, the rooms are nice, the therapies were all so helpful/sweet, and of course… THE THERAPY DOGS
What did you like the least?
how boring the weekends were
Would you recommend this program?
yes
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
none
How fast is the weight gain process?
depends on the person but pretty fast I think
What was the average length of stay?
it depends person to person; typically once you are medically stable, they will discharge you
What was the average age range?
unsure. I went as an adult at 22/23 yo.
How do visits/phone calls work?
parents can visit 24/7
if you are over 18, you can request for two non-family members to be able to visit you 24/7
you get 24/7 access to your phone except discouraged from using during meals/snacks & groups
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
yes, they help follow up w/ your outpatient medical providers
Other?
you have a camera in your room that you are watched with during and after meals/snacks
they have a program called the Butterfly Paws Program which is basically just a ton of incredible therapy dogs. they have them almost every day and you can request to go see them.
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/butterfly-paws/meet-our-dogs
How does meal planning work if you don’t meet with the dietitian ever?
you can make requests/talk to the doctors about it who relay it to the dietitian
i would highly recommend this hospital for medical stabilization. it is room-based treatment, 3 meals and 3 snacks, and overall quality, compassionate care. they also have massage therapy, recreational therapy, child-life specialists, music therapy, occupational therapy, and therapy dogs that make your stay so much better. i believe they take patients up to 26 yo. i went as a 22 and 23 yo.
Do you have to be a patient in their system already if older but still under 26?
Would you be willing to post a full review? And they take 26 year olds?
What is the age cap