Absolutely terrible facility who treated my beloved family member with disdain and abuse at the lowest point of her life. A 26 year old woman at a terribly low weight was made to stand naked in front of a tech each morning to be weighed, had all of her phone calls and visits recorded, and was belittled and verbally abused by staff members such as Dr. Puckett. Acute promised us hope but left my niece severely traumatized and unwilling to ever seek care again. read more

I am posting this review on yelp, and hopefully it wouldn't be removed as it was on Google. I am not sure how Acute is able to hide many 1 star reviews, and push fake 5 star reviews, but they succeed at it. When you get admitted to Acute center for eating disorders you give up all your human rights. The Acute center medical personnel monitor patients 24/7 and record every conversation--both phone calls and in-person visits with loved ones--then relay that information to a larger "team." Patients being watched while undressing for weigh-ins and even while using the bathroom during the first level of their treatment. You are not allowed to leave your room without supervision. They are forced to consume up to 5,000 calories per day until they reach a predetermined "standard" body ratio. If a patient or their parents disagree with the treatment plan, the clinic can enforce feeding through a court order. You will not be allowed to go home after treatment. instead they will transfer you from one recovery center to another. The environment feels more like a jail, where you have been treated as a prisoner. Access to patient floors is tightly controlled; no one can enter without a badge or special authorization. Acute is not part of Denver Hospital, even so it's located in one of its buildings, it's a separate entity, which has its own rules and policies, so there is no authority above them you can advocate your rights. Food is worse than in a regular hospital. People with eating disorders need a better nutrition. read more

Do yourself a favor and do not send your child or loved one here. I am not, nor should you, be delusional about the fact that this will be a fun experience. No matter where you are, the journey will be difficult. Having said that... it doesn't seem necessary to torture clients in recovery. This place the WORST unhealthy food options that taste about as good as feces. Not one thing I encountered was even close to the realm of edible. The chicken was DEFINITELY not fresh chicken, the fish tasted out of a can, the veggies were soggy, and the grains (the 2 options they had)! We're just simply uncooked. Most importantly, this facility is completely unwilling to work with you. Things you bring from home, comfort items, and things that are part of your everyday life are just flat out dismissed. Try also try to use you being there as a basis for a psychiatry hold, which is used as a threat. Very simply, any treatment that uses a "one size fits all" or does not tailor the program or eating or food options for each person, is not worth exploring . Do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to go read more

This place is a complete nightmare. It causes 10,000 time more trauma than the ED itself. They don't truly address your mental health while they're forcing you to gain tons of weight, so the disconnect between what's happening in your brain and your body is unbearable. You will have no personal freedom - everything you eat is forced/mandatory, tube feeding if you can't manage the food, all bathroom activities monitored, you can't leave the room to move around except for a few laps around the floor if you're in a certain level and you are completing all your meals. You have almost no agency over your recovery and choices. If you don't like the pace or where the treatment is going, they will have you mentally committed so you can't leave. Meanwhile, they are making thousands of dollars off of you every day that you're in there. It is highly unlikely you will get good sleep. All your meals are watched and the watcher doesn't eat with you so you feel even weirder. The food is gross (lots of unhealthy/processed items like "bars") but you have to eat it anyway. And the worst part is that their one size fits all approach is very unsuccessful on most. Ask them to give you their stats on recovery 12 months, 2 years and 5 years after treatment. The numbers are abysmal. They don't have a proven approach for people who have been struggling with their ED (restrictive) for over 5 years. There isn't one. You're better off working with your own outpatient team if you can and maintaining some of your freedom as you more slowly work to put on the weight and process the issues that are keeping you stuck in your ED. Because of Acute, I will avoid going the hospital for any condition (even life-threatening) going forward b/c I would never want to risk going from the hospital to Acute again. It was the worst experience of my life - like being raped on a daily basis. They take away all agency over your life and don't work on your mind even as your body is radically changing. It is horrific. If they did the same thing for obese people and starved them and forced them to stay against their will (claiming it was for their own good), it would be considered inhumane and would be against the law. How they can do this (and force it against your will) to others on the low end of the scale is insane. read more

Do not expect complete honesty. They will tell you that they will call, email you when you have questions. They will not. They will tell you that they can handle patients with diverse illnesses. They cannot. They will tell you that the patient is ready for next level when they are not. They do use punitive measures to ensure compliance. They did put weight on my sister's emaciated body. I am grateful for that. The next step to ERC was a disaster. read more

I spent five weeks at Denver Acute and was truly amazed by the unflagging dedication, kindness, and professionalism of the entire team - from the cleaning staff to the medical directors and everyone in between. Every day I was there, I saw the staff going above and beyond to create a safe and loving environment for their patients, and doing so with tremendous grace, humor, and generosity of spirit. I benefitted greatly from all of the interventions offered by this truly gifted team: medical care, psychotherapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication management, nutrition counseling, discharge planning, nursing, and 24-hour support from the hardworking staff of certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Not only did this program save my life, but, at every step, I felt invited and encouraged to see myself as part of the team fighting for my survival. I left feeling empowered to take responsibility for my recovery and better prepared than ever to take on the challenges and responsibilities of residential treatment. I know a lot of people seek out reviews before deciding how to plan their treatment, and although I've never written a review before, my positive experience at Acute compelled to add my enthusiastic and heartfelt praise to mix of voices represented here. I have struggled with an eating disorder for 25 years and have never felt so grateful for the treatment I've received as I did at Denver. If you are at a point where this level of care is necessary, please know that this program will provide unmatched medical and nutritional rehabilitation in a respectful and warm environment read more

I second everything anamarrie said. SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME AND I AM A 35 YEAR OLD MOM OF 3 WITH A JOB. MY BMI WAS NOT EVEN LOW. THEY ARE BEYOND CRAZY HERE. "If you chose to come here you better get a good lawyer. This place is terrible. Very little psychological support. All of the doctor are so busy with other patients that they never have time to provide their full attention and support. They threatened to place me on a 90 day hold and transfer me to another center against my will. After you are deemed medically stable they will not release you to your home they will force you to go to an in patient treatment facility. You don't have any privacy. They will watch you pee, poop, shower and change. On the first day you get there they strip you naked in front of several other people and touch you all over your unclothed body. You also have to wear a "guard belt" for the first few days and the crn must hold onto the belt whenever you stand up. Someone has to be in your room at all times. They go through all of your belongings. You will be fully violated and have all of your rights taken away. If you get put on a psychiatric hold you won't be able to see your family. They will keep you there for two months against your will. I am traumatized and have relapsed. Do not come here." read more

If you chose to come here you better get a good lawyer. This place is terrible. Very little psychological support. All of the doctor are so busy with other patients that they never have time to provide their full attention and support. They threatened to place me on a 90 day hold and transfer me to another center against my will. After you are deemed medically stable they will not release you to your home they will force you to go to an in patient treatment facility. You don't have any privacy. They will watch you pee, poop, shower and change. On the first day you get there they strip you naked in front of several other people and touch you all over your unclothed body. You also have to wear a "guard belt" for the first few days and the crn must hold onto the belt whenever you stand up. Someone has to be in your room at all times. They go through all of your belongings. You will be fully violated and have all of your rights taken away. If you get put on a psychiatric hold you won't be able to see your family. They will keep you there for two months against your will. I am traumatized and have relapsed. Do not come here. read more

Intake screening by phone was 3 questions: "how old are you, how tall are you, how much do you weigh? Sorry, BMI is too high." Essentially, go die somewhere else. This facility is using BMI as the sole screening criteria for admission. BMI is junk science when it comes to an eating disorder diagnosis. My daughter is literally dying and they ruled her "not sick enough" based on an arbitrary and mostly discredited tool. At this point, I wouldn't want her treated by such ignorant and callous people anyway. read more

I wasn't aware of this place! I've had multiple allergies all these years and no referrals have been given to me, I've tried multiple doctor's, Eversince I've last had a allergy referral in Tacoma Wa., 2001 a metal dental cap came off my back tooth, logged in my throat "cutting up my throat and insides; till it was hard to breathe talk and eat solid heavy foods for 2+years! (2003 as time progressed; so did the sinsitivity of eating and drinking even a sip water made my stomach and throat swell with making it harder to breathe talk sleep or swallow" One day I eventually called St Anthony North Clinic for a new doctor urgent appointment immediately the test results showed that I needed a emergency gallbladder removal sergury" The doctor signed me up for the next morning early appointment; he said I probably wouldn't live much longer without the surgery; I believe the doctor saved my life; although my digestive system is not better by much at times up to 4-5 days a week and it's now April 2020) God is good! I've been asking for a referral for my severe digestive issues since about 2001-2020! The majority of my daily life is overwhelmed by full body issues for 20years now; part of it is allergies, nurves, and some prescription medications! I'm not getting better but worse most days "1-2 days a week I may get a little more relief after my system crashes from over exhaustion burnouts, sleeping a 1-3 hour's more in addition to my periodic 0-4 hours in a 24hour period" Do I need a doctor referral to go here? read more

This is the absolute worst facility I have been to yet. The doctors do not seem to know what they're doing as I was always updated at the last minute about changes. My team lied about my discharge date and increased caloric intake when I could hardly finish what I had. Very restrictive as we only have two "outings" for 30 minutes in a wheelchair. They pump over 4000 calories into patients not taking into account how small they are and how its hard to handle. Ive been having regular panic attacks and increased depression since admitting. I have not spoken to anyone for three days as I mostly just sit and stare at the wall. Do not send a loved one here or voluntarily come yourself. They will end up baker acting you if you try to leave. Just awful. read more