2021 Alsana Birmingham Patient Recalls Treatment Nightmare
"I have recently become aware of a lawsuit against Alsana and joined the Facebook group. I wanted to share my experience at Alsana in Birmingham, Alabama from March 2021 until July 2021. I want to start by saying that there were people who were working at Alsana at the time who truly had the patients’ best interests at heart. It is my belief that structural issues and a focus on expansion at the expense of patient care led to the negligent care I received at Alsana. The abysmal level of care I received at Alsana rivaled that of an experience I had a year prior, at River Oaks Hospital in New Orleans. My experiences at River Oaks alone led me to seek legal counsel, but fearing the difficulties of a long legal battle and expenses associated, I decided not to press charges. I was incredibly hesitant to return to treatment after the trauma I experienced at River Oaks, and was assured that my experience at Alsana would be better. I am certain that my experiences at Alsana will amount to me never seeking treatment again, regardless of how severe my eating disorder gets. I am writing in the case that this turns into a class action lawsuit on behalf of the victims of Alsana, which would reduce the financial and emotional pressure on individual victims who have, in my opinion, suffered quite enough at this point. * see note a the bottom of this post. There was no doctor on staff for the vast majority of the time I was a patient at Alsana in Birmingham, despite many patients needing immediate and ongoing medical care as advertised by the company. Towards the end of my stay, they acquired an as-needed physician who came inconsistently and provided minimal medical support (such as prescribing Miralax or reviewing labs). We were consistently withheld psychiatric and medical medications we needed due to staffing issues. One patient with Celiacs Disease was given gluten and started peeing blood and had to be discharged just so she could see a doctor. Patients with severe eating disorders were allowed to deteriorate to the point of requiring hospitalization on four separate occasions during my stay alone. The psychiatrist on staff sees the entire Alsana RTC community, from what I understand, so we were given 15-minute zoom slots with him. If we missed it (due to being in an appointment, or in group, or just not being told it was our turn), we did not see the psychiatrist. At one point, the psychiatrist took me off my SSRI and went on vacation without starting me on my new medication, and I was put on suicide watch instead of them resolving the issue. I was meant to be watched 24/7 during that weeklong period, but was not, due to - again - staffing issues. There were many nights where we only had one Direct Care Counselor on staff, with anywhere between 12-18 patients.
The sharps cabinet, where people left their razors and any sharp objects they admitted with, was repeatedly left unlocked and wide open for patients to access, many of which were on suicide watch and struggled with self-harming behavior. Labs were often forgotten - some patients never had them done and others went months without Alsana realizing they were not accounted for. I was verbally threatened by a Direct Care staff member during a crisis situation, who told other patients she was going to beat me up.
During my last week at Alsana, the chef threw out my lunch in the middle of the dining room because she did not like that I was offered to do a sub meal (peanut butter and jelly) instead of what she had cooked. I found out that she was so angry after this encounter that she cornered the DC who had allowed me to do this in her office - upsetting her so much that she had to leave work that day due to safety concerns. Not only was the chef not fired, but I am told that she still works there. I am sharing my story in the hopes that no one will have to go through the stress and trauma of this experience in the future. I am grateful that Alsana is finally being held accountable for the abysmal treatment services they provide. I have been in treatment five times in my life, and knew almost immediately upon my admission to this treatment center that I had walked into a mess, but was unable to transfer to a different facility because insurance covered Alsana and they provided “the care I was looking for.” I was encouraged to reach out by patients who were with me at Alsana, as a voice for those who are too fearful to speak up. Thank you for your time and listening ear. It is appreciated, regardless of what happens."
*Note: Many lawyers, especially the ones that we work with will take cases on a contingency basis, which means you do not pay until your case has won or reached a settlement. Furthermore, the possibility exists to file your case using a "Jane Doe" or your initials. We are not lawyers, however, so please seek proper legal advice before coming to a decision about your particular case.
