Step right up, folks! Welcome to The Shit Show!!

Veritas Collaborative: The Shit Show (Part One)

Veritas Collaborative is a perfect example of what happens when there’s a niche in a market desperately seeking help and an organization or business takes advantage of that. Via its website Veritas Collaborative (V-Tas, for brevity sake) touts itself as a “state-of-the-art” eating disorder treatment center. Headquartered in Durham, NC, V-Tas has facilities in Durham, NC, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA., and Richmond, VA. offering differing programs for both adolescents and adults depending on location. Their website, as any business’ website should do, promotes them as this amazing facility with the best of everything and a passionate, experienced staff. They say that they are warm and inviting and provide an inclusive environment. They say all of the right things to get people roped into the hope of recovery. From my experience, when you or your loved one is at the point that treatment is needed, things are pretty bad or getting near that state. In that state sufferers, families, and friends are vulnerable. V-Tas has figured this out and honed in on preying on that group of people to advance their business goals. From initial contact until the admission, it’s almost as if a prayer of recovery filled with compassion is being answered by V-Tas. It can start with a cheery Outreach Associate or Intake Coordinator “selling” you on their programs. Have you got an adolescent with bulimia and you want them to continue their education while getting treatment? No problem! How about a teen with anorexia who needs to complete high school requirements? No problem! Or, maybe you’re a working adult with binge eating disorder that needs to tend to the daily “adult” obligations? No problem!

And then you get there…

Problem…upon problem. Upon problem.

I had never heard of the phrase “a shit show” until another patient kept on calling V-Tas that. At first, I thought the phrase was funny. It truly did describe what was going on there. But, the more I thought about it and was affected by it, that moniker was no longer funny- it was extremely sad and alarming. Inconsistencies, poor communication, and inability to accept responsibility are the normal operating Modus Operandi for those working there. Patients are expected to be open and trusting of the lack-luster staff there without the same respect reciprocated. Their business model is just as flawed as their staffing requirements.

I’ve blogged before about my first time in treatment. I never mentioned my provider was because I didn’t want to “bad mouth” them even though the experience was a negative one. But, I decided to be transparent about my experience there in hopes that this one woman’s voice will make change. If I can stop one other person from having the negative experience that I had, it’s beyond a blessing for me. I don’t want anyone as sick as I am to have to deal with that and still walk away untreated. I know that other people are having negative experiences with them, both as employees and patients. A Google search of V-Tas reviews quickly shows that. I’ve decided to handle this through a series of blog posts where I openly and honestly recount my experience at Veritas Collaborative in Richmond, Va. I will discuss their policies, staff, procedures, and methods. This will hopefully bring awareness to potential patients as to what they should expect if they choose to use their services or go into any treatment program. Also, this will be a helpful experience for me to continue to share my life journey and to critically assess my own successes, challenges, and inadequacies. But, more importantly, it will give an honest account of what it’s like from one patient’s perspective to be a patient in an eight-hour per day, six-days per week eating disorder treatment program. I was at V-Tas once from May 15 until the last week of June and then again from October 12 until yesterday, November 21, 2017. I think that amount of time in treatment definitely qualifies me as knowing what it’s like to be a patient and I’m going to freely share that with everyone. I'm spilling the tea, dearies!