Veritas Collaborative expands Charlotte eating disorder clinic, creates new jobs
Veritas Collaborative, a specialty healthcare system for the treatment of eating disorders, will expand its Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Clinic in Charlotte, N.C. in June of this year.
The 8,300-square-foot space will have capacity to treat 20 patients in higher levels of care at any given time and create approximately 15 new jobs in Charlotte. It will remain the region’s only gender-diverse, multidisciplinary eating disorder center to provide comprehensive medical assessments that diagnose eating disorders and other conditions that may require medical intervention.
“Veritas Collaborative is on a mission to improve access to eating disorders care for all persons affected by the disease, and this expansion marks a significant step in moving toward that goal,” said Stacie McEntyre, LCSW, CEDS, founder and CEO of Veritas Collaborative. “Our relationship with the Charlotte community is mutually beneficial and we anticipate our continued collaborative approach will create strong resources, break down barriers, and enhance access to care for those affected by eating disorders throughout the Southeast.”
The expansion is a direct result of patient demand and community support. The clinic, which currently occupies only 1,100-square-feet and provides level of care assessments and outpatient care, will soon add intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization services once relocated to the Dilworth area at 1900 Scott Avenue in Charlotte. The center will continue to service greater Charlotte, central and western N.C., and northern S.C. by providing multidisciplinary care for children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 25 impacted by eating disorder illnesses in a gender-diverse and inclusive environment.
Veritas believes strongly in treating the entire family as opposed to just the patient. They do this through family-based treatment (FBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). Enhanced space, created by contractor New City Design, will allow the center to offer additional services that align with these modalities:
- New positions: Veritas is hiring psychiatrists, physician assistants, LPNs, nurse practitioners, therapists, dieticians, therapeutic assistants, Sous chefs, culinary assistants, art therapists, and yoga therapy instructors.
- School: Veritas will be the only eating disorder treatment facility in the area to offer an on-site school instructor, lifting an educational burden many families face during treatment.
- Teaching kitchen: Patients and their families learn new culinary skills, enjoy classes with a sous chef, and practice meal times together.
“Our team of five has witnessed amazing recovery stories because we integrate medical care with therapy and nutritional guidance to create positive outcomes. But, we’re bursting at the seams, so we’re eager to expand our space and our team,” said Dr. Preeti Matkins, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, executive director of the Charlotte center and the first Veritas Collaborative employee in Charlotte. “That said, the most exciting component of this change is the hope and healing that we can expect as a result – and that’s what our work is all about.”
Veritas Collaborative opened its Charlotte center in January 2018. During its first year of operation, the Charlotte center saw 124 patients, about a quarter of them males, and worked through nearly 2,000 appointments. The organization also collaborated with a variety of providers, hospital systems, and community organizations to provide enhanced education and support around a health concern that affects an estimated 30 million people nationwide, which it considers an ongoing effort as it shifts spaces.
The Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Center in Charlotte is currently located at 1900 Scott Avenue, Suite 101, in Charlotte. Patients treated in Charlotte have access to the full spectrum of Veritas Collaborative care. Individuals interested in treatment options can call Veritas Collaborative in Charlotte at 855-875-5812 or email charlotte@veritascollaborative.com.
About Veritas Collaborative
Veritas Collaborative is a specialty healthcare system for the treatment of eating disorders. Veritas provides a range of individualized, evidence-based services for ages 8 and older, including inpatient, acute residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient levels of care in a gender-diverse and inclusive environment. Veritas envisions a world in which all persons with eating disorders and their families have access to best-practice care and hold hope for a cure. Our multidisciplinary team of treatment professionals include physicians, psychiatrists, dietitians, therapists, nurses, teachers, culinary team members, and therapeutic assistants.