Jul 24, 2018
Four years after battling malpractice lawsuits and accusations of brainwashing, Castlewood Treatment Center in west St. Louis County has changed its name to Alsana, even as new complaints arise about its staff and treatment methods.
The name change reveals challenges in health care marketing. Nearly all potential patients use internet search engines to find doctors and treatment facilities. Online reviews and testimonials are hugely influential for patients seeking care, according to public relations experts.
All references to Castlewood have been scrubbed from its website, which redirects to Alsana’s page. A blog post from 2011 about the lawsuits against Castlewood, among other historical citations, was altered to replace the center’s name with Alsana.
The name change reflects a cultural evolution, said Jennifer Steiner, CEO of Alsana, who joined the company nine months ago, replacing longtime CEO Nancy Albus. Alsana is derived from the Latin term for total health, Steiner said.
“We transformed the way that we’re delivering care,” Steiner said. “I’m focusing on what I’m doing and what I’m building. The name Castlewood reflects a company that looks nothing like what my company is today.”
For example, the company has expanded to 10 eating disorder programs in California and Alabama, including its original site on the outskirts of Castlewood State Park in Ballwin, Steiner said. More than 90 percent of the 288 patients discharged from the clinics between September 2017 and June said they would recommend the programs to others, according to a company spokeswoman.
The company, which has been represented by at least four public relations firms in the last six years, has an “enormously challenging marketing proposition” with a history that includes negative publicity and lawsuits, according to Jim Fisher, a professor of marketing at St. Louis University.
After a name change, that history can be obscured to potential clients researching treatment options.
“(If) consumers are not able to fully evaluate the credibility of a source, they’re at a disadvantage,” Fisher said. “As somebody concerned about business ethics, there is almost never any warrant for deceiving consumers.”
Castlewood was founded nearly 20 years ago by psychologist Mark Schwartz and his wife, Lori Galperin. The center has previously advertised that its residential therapy costs $1,100 a day.
In 2011, former patient Lisa Nasseff sued Castlewood and Schwartz, claiming he brainwashed her to create false memories of sexual abuse and satanic cult activity in her past.
Nasseff’s suit and four other malpractice or personal injury lawsuits against Castlewood between 2011 and 2014 have been dismissed, with lawyers for both sides saying the cases were resolved favorably. Neither Nasseff nor her attorney, Ken Vuylsteke, of Webster Groves, could be reached for comment.
Castlewood staff previously denied the allegations and said no therapist ever created false memories or hypnotized clients.
Last year, the Missouri psychology board censured Schwartz’s license after a patient identified as “B.K.” complained in 2013 about a lack of supervision at Castlewood. As part of the disciplinary agreement, Schwartz agreed to let his state license expire in January 2018.
Schwartz and Galperin stepped down from Castlewood in 2013. Galperin is no longer licensed as a clinical social worker in Missouri. Castlewood’s former owners, Trinity Hunt Partners of Dallas, sold the company in 2016 to another private equity firm, New York-based Riverside Co.
At least seven former patients are pursuing new legal claims, according to Irene Lerz, co-founder of Castlewood Victims Unite.
“We are fighting back,” said Jay Brett, 34, who was an inpatient for anorexia treatment at Castlewood for three months this spring. “(I was told) I had to admit to trauma that never happened. They make you feel like they’re the only place that can help you, but they actually make you sicker.”
Brett filed complaints with several medical licensing organizations against Dr. Kevin Miller, a psychiatrist who is no longer on staff at Alsana. Missouri’s board of healing arts has opened an investigation, according to a letter sent to Brett in June. Miller could not be reached for comment.
Steiner, Alsana’s CEO, said she could not comment on individual cases, but said the company has “transformed the way that we’re delivering care with an entirely new team and a brand new …
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