Veritas Collaborative Hosts Charlotte Grand Opening
Charlotte’s first medically integrated, gender-diverse eating disorder center creates access to care.
Veritas Collaborative, a specialty healthcare system for the treatment of eating disorders, today celebrated the grand opening of its Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Center in Charlotte, N.C. The center celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by center tours and a celebration with community dignitaries, members of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, the Veritas Collaborative executive team, and its multidisciplinary staff.
Did you know that there are approximately 416,000 North Carolinians affected by eating disorders? This is the first and only medically integrated center in the region that offers gender-diverse, multidisciplinary eating disorder treatment. The center offers level of care assessments, outpatient care, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization services for children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 24 impacted by eating disorders.
“As Charlotte’s first eating disorders center to offer higher levels of care for children and adolescents in a gender-diverse and inclusive environment, we are eager to welcome patients who need and deserve proven treatment options,” said Dr. Preeti Matkins, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, executive director of the Charlotte center. “By using a multidisciplinary approach toward treatment, we are able to provide each patient with an individualized and unique treatment plan.”
Veritas is transforming eating disorder treatment by treating the whole person and providing services like:
- School Instruction: Veritas is 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 can learn new culinary skills, enjoy classes while practicing meal prepping, and the opportunity to eat meals together since mealtime can be a challenging part of recovery.
“Residents in and surrounding Charlotte deserve appropriate access to care for eating disorders, and we’re working hard to make sure they have it,” said Stacie McEntyre, LCSW, CEDS, founder and CEO of Veritas Collaborative. “Families travel far and wide to receive lifesaving eating disorders treatment, and the grand opening of our Charlotte center means treatment is now more accessible to them. Our goal is to reduce barriers to care, so we’re delighted that today marks the fulfillment of our mission to serve the thousands of people affected by eating disorders in the Queen City.”
Veritas Collaborative opened its temporary Charlotte center in January 2018. During its first year of operation, the center saw 124 patients, about a quarter of them are males, and worked through nearly 2,000 appointments. The new 8,300-square-foot center has the capacity to treat 20 patients in higher levels of care at any given time by providing multidisciplinary care for children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 25. Veritas added employees to its existing five, staffing its new site with a total of 20 employees to serve greater Charlotte, central and western N.C., and northern S.C.
“This is more important than many people realize,” says Will R., a Charlotte resident, parent, and advocate for eating disorders treatment. “When an eating disorder strikes, families like mine need local access to the care required to get well. I drove three hours one direction to ensure my family member received proper care. I am thrilled to have this resource in my own backyard so that other families can fight this illness without the additional burden of travel.”
Individuals interested in treatment options can call Veritas Collaborative in Charlotte at 855-875-5812 and/or email charlotte@veritascollaborative.com.