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Mainstream ideas about nutrition are often rigid and heavily influenced by diet culture. Individuals struggling with eating disorders often have thoughts and behaviors surrounding food that reflect the rigidity of diet culture. To help our clients nurture a more flexible, balanced, and mindful relationship with food, The Emily Program provides nutrition experiences, education, counsel, and skills that are guided by our “Can Eat” philosophy. But what does this philosophy entail? Unlike so many diet culture messages that demonize certain foods, The Emily Program’s nutrition philosophy is that foods have no moral value, and all foods fit. What’s more, we acknowledge the varying nutritional profiles of food, individual nutritional needs, and each person’s unique experience with food (including their cultural heritage). Ultimately, a “Can Eat Culture” supports overall health and well-being and emphasizes the importance of freedom and choice in purchasing, preparing, and consuming food. Learn more about The Emily Program’s food philosopy below.
We are excited to have recently launched a Virtual Adolescent Saturday Program at our Cleveland and Columbus locations! This extension of our Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) Programs is designed for clients and families participating in intensive outpatient treatment at The Emily Program. The aim of Saturday programming is to increase support, provide psychoeducation, and give clients the opportunity to practice recovery skills in their own homes. Saturday programming, which takes place over a secure video connection, is a flexible option for clients who need to make up for missed program hours or require extra support. Our staff will recommend attending on Saturdays if clients and families miss a day of programming during the week, are stepping down from residential care, or may benefit from an additional day of treatment. The small-group format with a limit of 12 clients and families, facilitated by two staff members including at least one therapist, will provide personalized attention to those who need it most. Weekend family sessions will be informed by a Family-Based Treatment (FBT) philosophy. We recommend that caregivers attend 3 hours of the PHP day for our Caregiver Support Group (without their loved one present), a multi-family DBT skills group, and a therapeutic lunch. Learn more at our website below!
Expressive arts is just one of the many therapies our teams use to help our clients in their recovery journeys. It’s also one way for our non-clinical employees to connect with clients. Recently, Kate Norris, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, and the compliance team worked together to create encouraging artwork that will be sent to both The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative locations. “When our Accanto* compliance team visits our various sites, we often leave with full hearts after seeing the inspiring art our patients and staff create. For our team building activity this quarter, we partnered with our friends in Accanto’s Learning & Development department to create our own inspirational art for the staff and patients who inspire us the most,” said Norris. To see examples of our clients’ artwork, check out the site videos under our “Locations” tab on our website. You can read more about how we use expressive arts to empower recovery in our blog post, “What are Art Therapy and Expressive Arts?” *The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative are brands under the Accanto Health family.
Former basketball star Abbey McDonald shares her battle with an eating disorder in this Duluth News Tribune article. Read to learn about her story and the heightened eating disorder risk in athletes.
Accanto Health with brands The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative hosted a successful In-Person Symposium in Atlanta, GA The Accanto Health Symposium: Beside and Beyond, was successfully held in-person in Atlanta, GA from September 14-16. The symposium, which was hosted virtually last year and continues in the tradition of the Veritas Collaborative annual symposium, gave us the opportunity to provide continuing education and build relationships with community providers. We hosted 180+ registrants from across the country who gave the event high marks for clinical content and speaker presentations. The symposium featured 11 live presentations from experts sharing research, practical insights, and clinical best practices related to eating disorder treatment. Sessions included in-depth presentations on specific types of eating disorders, treatment considerations for marginalized communities, and updates on federal policy. Healthcare providers attending the conference had the opportunity to earn up to 15 continuing education credit hours.
At The Emily Program, Veritas Collaborative, and our parent company Accanto Health, our care extends beyond eating disorders. We care for people—those we serve and those we work with. We share a firm belief that each person belongs here, understanding that diversity in identity, experience, and perspective is critical to our work. In our relationships with colleagues and clients, we value trust, respect, and a commitment to inclusion. This commitment is a shared responsibility. Helping us ensure that our values are reflected in our practices and policies is Accanto Health’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Council. With staff from both The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative, the EDI Council plays an essential role in advancing meaningful change both internally and externally. Learn more about the EDI Council and its work at the link below.
The Emily Program’s adolescent residential program in Columbus, Ohio is open! The 16-bed licensed facility gives children and adolescents access to highly structured, intensive eating disorder treatment in a safe, supportive, and comfortable setting. By expanding residential programming in the region, we further our commitment to increasing access to personalized and multidisciplinary eating disorder treatment. The new program completes our continuum of care options for children and adolescents of all genders in central Ohio. “We’re very excited to bring this residential program to Columbus, especially with the increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders among children and adolescents we’ve seen throughout the pandemic,” said Dr. Jillian Lampert, The Emily Program’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Eating disorders are serious illnesses, but we also know they are highly treatable. Access to effective care at the appropriate level is critical. Residential treatment isn’t widely available in the region, so we’re pleased to be able to meet that need.”
Renowned eating disorders clinician and advocate Chase Bannister was named as the first senior vice president for community engagement for The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. He began his new role 14 June 2021. “Chase is a highly respected leader in the field of eating disorders care,” said Dave Willcutts, CEO of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. “We are delighted that he has agreed to join us in this critical new role, which leverages his strengths as an outstanding connector and one of the nation’s most effective ambassadors for eating disorders awareness.” Bannister is a key figure in the eating disorders treatment community, having delivered national educational presentations on eating disorders and provided expert guidance to the U.S. Congress, numerous federal agencies, and multiple White House administrations over the past decade.
From 29 June 2021: Veritas Collaborative and The Emily Program, who merged in early 2021, announced the name of their new parent company as “Accanto Health.” Accanto, which means “beside” in Italian, represents the company’s commitment to be with those they serve the whole way on their journey “Everyone we serve is on a journey, whether early on in that journey or further along,” said Dave Willcutts, CEO. “We want to be beside everyone we serve for as much of the journey as they need our help.” Accanto will retain the highly respected brands in their respective markets. Accanto is committed to expanding access to care while maintaining the highest level of clinical integrity and treatment standards. “We know clients and families rely on [both] brands to deliver warm, high-quality expertise, care, and support,” said Willcutts. “We will continue to work to exceed their expectations as they put their trust in us to be with them the whole way.”
From 17 March 2021: The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative completed their merger on 17 March 2021, joining two of the nation's leading eating disorders programs. “We are delighted that this process has gone so smoothly,” said Dave Willcutts, CEO of The Emily Program and of the merged company. “Together, our two programs can scale more quickly than either of us alone to bring more care to more people.” The Emily Program and Veritas will retain their brands in their respective and remain committed to maintaining the highest clinical integrity and standards of care and expanding access to care. Collectively, The Emily Program and Veritas have 20+ locations across Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, with outpatient individual, group, and family services; intensive outpatient programs; partial hospital programs; residential programs; and inpatient care — with various gender-inclusive programs focused on addressing the needs of children, adolescents, and adults.
