**THE UIHC INPATIENT EATING DISORDER UNIT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED. MEDICAL STABILIZATION ON GENERAL UNITS, ED PHP AND ED OUTPATIENT ARE STILL AVAILABLE**
SOURCE and PRESS RELEASE: https://www.kcrg.com/2022/09/02/changes-coming-uihc-eating-disorder-program/ (permanent link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230511064908/https://www.kcrg.com/2022/09/02/changes-coming-uihc-eating-disorder-program/)
GET INVOLVED Through the Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa: EDCI’s Response to the Closing of the Inpatient Eating Disorder Program at UIHC
University of Iowa Eating Disorder Program includes the following levels of care:
- Acute Medical/Psychiatric Inpatient Unit – This unit cares for individuals with extensive medical needs related to symptoms and health changes including nutritional deficits, cognitive impairments, severe dehydration and more
- Eating Disorders Inpatient Unit This is their traditional inpatient eating disorders unit, and it treats patients 16 and older. The unit facilities are new as of 2021, and has private rooms. (UPDATE AS OF 09/22: PERMANENTLY CLOSED)
- Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU): “While the CSU is not a specialty unit for the treatment of eating disorders, the staff is able to provide prompt and effective treatment for individuals experiencing a mental health emergency, such as an emotional crisis or a psychiatric issue needing care right away. Patients and staff share a calm and open area with comfortable reclining chairs. Patients are first seen by a nurse, and then participate in a psychiatric evaluation with the care team. You may be offered medicines or therapy to ease your symptoms. After we’ve had some time to see how you are doing, you may be given choices for more care. Those choices might include a hospital stay, medication, establishing outpatient therapy, getting connected to community resources, or other care options.“
- Partial Hospitalization (PHP)
- Aftercare/Relapse Prevention Support Group
- Outpatient Therapy and Psychiatry
Updated reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
Their inpatient program has shut down. They only provide outpatient now.
Wow, that didn’t last long! Do you have any idea why they shut it down again? So few places accept Medicare, I was grateful when the ED unit here reopened, despite the mixed experiences people had here prior to it first shutting down a few years ago.
REALLY hoping for any new feedback…
Can anyone give me an overview of the PHP program? How long does it last? What’s usual plan? What’s structure like/ how are staff? How much weight is made to be gained per week? Thank you!
Any recent reviews? Has anyone been to the new unit? Do they let you have your electronics?
I would love any updated information on this program as well!
we had to on hospital trays no matter how long you had been there. there were no off site activies when i was there in 2005.Just saying
we had breakfast at 8 morning snack at ten lunch at noon afternoon snack about two or three supper at 5 night snack at eight bed at ten. we had to sit on butt pillows no matter what our wieght was if low we had to sit in recliners. this how it was in 2005. W (name edited) is awesome loved his groups but i will not go back if i need to go bad into treatment so many better ones.
This place literally saved my life. I was never in inpatient, but spent 3.5 weeks in partial for bulimia. I had been struggling for 7 years and had tried everything to break the cycle. I was released on June 29th, 2016. It is now October 5th, and I have only purged once and really haven’t had a full on binge since my release. While I was a patient in EDO, nothing but positive thoughts were fed into my mind. The entire staff was so supportive of me. I especially loved S, the head nurse, E, the social worker, and W, the head psychologist. My only complaint is that the food could be better, especially during the first week when you have to eat hospital trays. After the first week it’s not as bad though because you get to go down to the cafeteria and pick out what you want to eat. You get to choose 3 hate foods but have to eat everything else when you’re on hospital trays and during OT meals. They also don’t allow you to be a vegetarian. Overall though this place was amazing and I highly recommend it. I would totally go back here if I needed treatment again.
I am in need of treatment. And considering this hospital for treatment. Among a few others. Ans am out of state. Will this place be worth the time and travel for treatment?.
They might be a good program?. But quite strict. And no option to choose your own meals. So no vegetarian options.
I’m apalled! This program doesn’t even honor vegetarianism and will not accept someone who needs to adhere to vegetarian based meal plan and lifestyle.
U of Iowa is known as a pretty strict matter of fact program. It is not uncommon to find programs that will challenge vegetarianism, however, at least more and more programs are recognizing it and taking it into account on individual basis versus simply calling it yet another pattern of disordered eating.
I’m also looking into this program. Specifically, I need to know what vegetarian protein options they provide that exclude milk, eggs, and cheese.
Can anyone who had a bad expetience, elaborate on their experience there?
Any other reviews? Did anyone have a bad stay?
I’d be happy to write a review. I had a absolutely horrific time here.
Please tell your details…I am considering going
Im going to University of Iowa soon! I was wondering if it was cold in the hospital. (silly question) What do they allow you to bring for your stay? Is is stricty psych ward rules? Like no shoes laces etc. Or do EDO get more freedom?
Friends daughter is there now having alot of issues need to find another place for her any ideas?
Thanks
Hi Sue- It really depends on what her specific needs are and if she’s looking for input or residential. There really aren’t any programs in Iowa or too near by. Alexian in Chicago seems to have a generally good reputation – so probably the best we can suggest is to just start looking into programs either in the midwest (Alexian, Rogers, Castlewood) or go look nationally if there are specific needs.
My response is a lot less diplomatic than the informative ones above, but I did want to say something. My stay in Iowa was 8 years ago, and it sounds like there have been a few small changes. I had a really hard time with the meals, because I was a vegitarian going in, and that isn’t allowed–and the meals are quite meat heavy. I also got frustrated with what felt like a lot of arbitrary rules sometime, and the line “sit back in your chair” was around then too. I also remember eating ketchup plain because I hadn’t realized it was part of the meal until I was done with my food, which made me unhappy. We also had to drink a giant glass of juice with metamusil in it every day, and now I have a juice phobia. I do know that the program has one of the best recovery rates in the country, so there are obviously people it works quite well for.
Please realize, though, I was in a really negative state of mind there, so please don’t completely judge the program by me.
let us not forget what happens if you try to leave—
they love to commit people here
later, perhaps you will discover that the high commital rate coincides with a published study on committing anorexic patients (of course, they did not need your consent for this)…what a coincidence.They win like 98% of commital cases. They set up a monkey courtroom in the hospital. They tried taking custody of me from my parents.
They lock people in QR’s exceeding the amt. of hours allowed.
They do shock therapy on 9 year olds…
Benzo PRN’s are passed around like candy.
At least 3 codes will be called a day.
Worst place. Ever. I have panic attacks thinking about it.
Yes! Yes! I have been committed here on numerous occasions! Even when i was at a normal weight and not suicidal or anything…the food is awful and the nutritional philosophy is really outdated….facility is grungy, claustraphobic hospital unit….staff are mean and uncarring…way more ridiculous rules than any treatment center i have been to….put my target weight much higher than other treatment centers…no individual therapy whatever….excercise program is a joke
i left this place worse than when i went in
i would not go back, even if i was dying
youre not the only one who has panic attacks about this place
i think this program should be SHUT DOWN
Ugh. Thanks for the reminder about how I never ever want to go back there. You forgot to mention the 3 dislikes, how you only get three and milk can not be a dislike, (milk makes me throw up – just a huge gag reflex for me). That got me in trouble. And how you have to drink an entire glass of water and milk with every meal.
My biggest complaint: I have a food intolerance and they didn’t care. They told me to eat through the pain, even though I have a documented illness (right there at UI’s digestive disease clinic). They made it sound like I was faking it to get out of eating. I wasn’t.
And I agree, the whole not not allowing one to put syrup on your french toast is insane. And not giving you any choice in your food selection drove me crazy!
And yes, their target weights are really really high. In a way I understand because most tend to lose weight when they get out, so that way, even if they lose a little, they won’t be ill so quickly, but still, I think it’s ridiculous.
I’ve been to a few other ED treatment programs and they were so much better than Iowa!
holy crap I am soo glad I didn’t have to go here! When I was at Research Medical Center EDU, the doctor was trying to commit me there. He said they do better with weight gain and they would make me get to 100% body weight. Thankfully I got out of it since I was already in DFS custody. This sounds awful. Talk about making people worst..
When were you there: several times between 1999 and now
Describe the average day: You get up around 6 a.m. to get weighed–breakfast is at 7:45 a.m. or so–showers only allowed in the morning. The day consists of groups and free time. If you don’t have an activity level, you have a *lot* of free time, since you can’t leave the unit. If you’re under 85%, you have to sit on a “butt pillow” all day. The inpatient unit has a max of 8 EDO patients at a time. The rest of the unit (1JPW) is a psych unit for depression, etc.–that makes for interesting days at times depending on the population at that time……Everyone starts out on “standard observation,” which means you have to be with staff at all times between 7:45 a.m. and 10 p.m. You can work up to “Meals plus 2 hours,” Meals plus 1 hour,” and Meals only observation status.
What were meals like? You have 45 minutes to complete the meal. You sit at a round table with 3 or 4 other EDO patients. The hospital food could be better, but isn’t terrible. Meal times are at 7:45, 11:45, and 5:30 (snacks at 10:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.). No eating disordered/ritualistic behaviors, food talk, etc. If you don’t finish the meal in 45 minutes or less, you have to sit out in the dayroom in front of your tray until you do finish or until 10 p.m. You can also lose observation levels and activity levels for not finishing on time.
What sorts of food were available or served? standard hospital cafeteria food–not too bad, though
Did they supplement? No supplementing–you eat everything in food. Sometimes when somebody’s on a really high calorie level, they’ll send up high protein shakes as part of your snack (been there, done that….).
What privileges are allowed? Observation levels (as described above), Activity levels are 1, 2, and 3–based on weight and progress.
Level 1: allowed to go off the unit for different groups–in the hospital (you can be on passive level 1, too–they wheel you around in a wheelchair)
Level 2: allowed to go anywhere on hospital grounds (with staff, for certain groups, etc.)
Level 3: allowed to leave hospital grounds–once a week, there’s a Level 3 activity–going to Target, bookstore, nature walk, etc.
Does it work on a level system? as described above
What sort of groups do they have? Activities therapy, Occupational therapy, cognitive-behavioral groups, stress management, relaxation
What was your favorite group? probably groups with Wayne, the psychologist and director of the ED program (he’s also my outpatient therapist–amazing!)
What did you like the most? I liked some of the staff members there.
What did you like the least? The food rules, etc., are really overdone….
Would you recommend this program? Yes–it has saved my life on several occassions…..but that doesn’t mean I liked it……
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? not much–stretching and relaxation 3x a week, weight training 1x a week, walk outside 1x a week–and this is all provided you’re not at a super dangerous weight
What did people do on weekends? sleep, watch TV, have visitors
Do you get to know your weight? once you get to partial, they’ll tell you if you really want to know, but you won’t know your weight in inpatient
How fast is the weight gain process? inpatient: 2-3 pounds a week, partial: 2-3 pounds a week
Wow, Steph, I’m surprised by how diplomatic you are in your evaluation.
Other details… In regards to “privileges,” if you’re under 70% IBW, you cannot take a shower (you have a tub bath every other day or so). Also 70 or under, you have to sit in a recliner in the day room… which sounds nice, but singles you out, and breeds resentment among the mood disoder pts, who *want* the recliner, and occasionally have to be kicked out of the recliner for your skinny ass.Food is god-awful – greasy, bland, overcooked, calorie-dense but devoid of nutrition. Also, you don’t get a say in meal-planning, other than the omission of 3 very specific “hate” foods
Weight gain is *supposed* to be 2-3 lbs a week, but they’re not terribly concerned if you go over (unless they suspect bingeing). Also, target weights are pretty high, compared to other treatment centers
Other than that, Steph pretty much covered it.
*REPLIES*
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Yeah…..”recliner therapy.” YUCK. Agreed on the target weights thing, too.
One more thing–they’re very heavy on desserts. My bubble sheet (nutrition guide) has FOUR desserts a day on it. That’s just not normal.
My hate foods? ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Yeah, I’m strange.
On the hate foods thing–they ALWAYS STAY THE SAME. If you came back for treatment 10 years later, they’d use the same ones you picked then!!
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Ah yes, how could I forget the desserts… pie and ice cream EVERY DAMN DAY, anyone?
Oh yes, and I’ll second the inane food rules. No “mixing” (one girl had to get a WHOLE NEW TRAY because she put SYRUP on her FRENCH TOAST… i kid you not), but at the same time, you had to “alternate” b/t the various items on your plate (eg, you couldn’t eat your vegetables first, then your meat, etc). One of the PNAs explained the rule as “encouraging you to enjoy a variety of flavors”…my ass. It all tasted like shit.
Put it on her pancakes of course… cuz everyone has pancakes AND french toast for breakfast!
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“Eat around your plate, Stephanie.”
“Do you need to be standing up? Why don’t you have a seat and relax?”
“Don’t mix your gravy with your potatoes” What the hell? So I’m supposed to DRINK THE GRAVY SEPARATELY??
“Stop shaking your leg.”
“Don’t CROSS your legs.”
“Take bigger bites.”
“You’re walking way too fast.”
Stephanie: “I have to use the bathroom.”
Staff Member: “You used it an hour ago. I think you just want to exercise.”
Just a few UIHC-isms………
Lately it’s been cheesecake with this whole container of chocolate syrup and you have to use the WHOLE THING. So I eat my cheesecake DROWNING in chocolate syrup. And lick it all up at the end. NASTY.
who doesn’t mix potatoes with gravy?? I don’t like gravy, but seriously! I like to mix corn with my mashed potatoes.
And crossing your legs? what’s wrong with that?
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wow, the gravy thing is new to me. and going to the bathroom is SO exerting *snorts* speaking of which, did you ever get caught doing “isometrics” (ie, butt crunches). LOL, that’s gotta be the best…
oh, and dont forget: “sit back in your chair”
kudos to all who made it through this program…wow…
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so if you dont finish your tray by the time the next meal rolls around does the food just keep buidling up by you until 10pm at night??
im getting this cynically funny pict in my head :p