Resident eating disorder program comes to Vaughn

By Danna Webster
KP News

The Civic Center will be gaining some new neighbors next year. The beautiful lodge across the street has been sold to the CRC Health Group and will house a residential treatment program for clients suffering from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. According to a CRC publication, the health group “operates 139 facilities in 29 states serving over 25,000 people daily.” The lodge on Vaughn Bay will be the fifth resident house under management by this group. The others are located in Arizona, California, Nevada and North Carolina.

The future CRC Health Group facility has been a landmark in Vaughn, and offers beautiful water views. Photo by Danna Webster

On the afternoon of July 9, Julie Holland, the vice president of business development for CRC, held an open house at the Civic Center to introduce the group and meet some of the neighbors. One part of Holland’s job is to approve new properties. The group was considering this area because the National Association for Eating Disorders is based in Seattle.

Holland says when looking at properties, she knows when a location has the right feel and the right look to be a CRC residence. “We want it to be a reflection of the community,” Holland said. “This fits aesthetically and environmentally.”

The program expects to house 12 patients, who will be served by 10 full-time staff and some additional contract staff. The staff will include an executive director, a clinical director, a director of nursing, a full time LPN, a psychiatrist, a medical doctor, a dietician, a chef and residential patient assistants (RPA).

This facility expects to serve adult women. A patient’s stay is usually from 30 to 90 days. Two patients share an attractively furnished bedroom, complete with down comforters. Patients are at all times supervised, and the RPAs are on duty 24 hours a day. “You will not see patients walking down the road,” Holland said. “We will do meal outings but we don’t identify ourselves. There will be no big sign (at the property).”

The patients meet certain qualifications to participate in the program. They must be medically stable, cannot be actively using drugs, and are not suicidal. Insurance typically pays for the patients (for medically necessary programs) because the program is accredited to get an insurance contract. The stay will cost between $1,000 and $1,500 per day. Patients receive intensive treatment and counseling services away from the pressures, pace, and temptations of everyday life. Residential treatment includes counseling programs, education lectures, exercise classes and group therapy.

The health group intends to contribute to the community. Some of the educational programming and counseling may be available to the community at large. Holland said the faculty and the patients will join in community events. “We want something people are proud of,” she said.