Sanford House Addiction Treatment Centers took the next step in expanding treatment services in West Michigan by partnering with Gail Hall and her team at Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders.
The resulting partnership, known as Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders, hopes to expand access and provide a full continuum of quality mental health services in Michigan.
Hall said Michigan has concerning gaps in resources for those seeking treatment for substance use disorders, eating disorders and other mental health problems. Often, these gaps force individuals to go out of state to find providers.
“When somebody is ready to engage in treatment and get the care they need, putting them on a waiting list or sending them out of state is just not acceptable. We need to do better and provide a full continuum of eating disorder care in Michigan,” Hall said. “I believe the partnership with Sanford will provide us with the resources to do that.”
The relationship between Gail Hall and Sanford Founders, David and Rae Green, was born out of this gap in treatment. Several years ago, Hall approached Rae Green about the possibility of a room at Sanford House at Cherry Street. She had a client from outside of Grand Rapids (both organizations are located there) who was attending a CTED outpatient program.
Hall said she was concerned about the expense and the loneliness of this person staying in a hotel away from family. She felt the Cherry Street house could provide a comfortable and healing environment for the individual while they were going through treatment. The desire to advocate for her client compelled Hall to reach out to a kindred spirit.
That initial conversation led to an informal partnership enjoyed by both organizations. This included consulting, exchanging ideas for programming and even swapping staff for group work with clients. Given the high incidence of eating disorders occurring with substance use disorders, it was a natural partnership.
“Gail and I have collaborated for years, she has been a supporter of Sanford since our inception,” Rae Green said. “We have enjoyed talking about new ideas, solving challenges with progressive strategies and innovatively sharing resources. Gail is a master in the field of eating disorders, and we are thrilled to take this partnership to a new level.”
The Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders partnership was formalized after Jenny Selent, LMFT, was brought on board to expand Sanford’s clinical programming in the summer of 2020. Additionally, she was tasked with the continued mission of improving access to services in Michigan.
Hall and Selent have plans to attract more quality providers to the area and to expand the continuum of care for eating disorder treatment.
