SLP Clinic Changes Name After Better Business Bureau Warning

A St. Louis Park hormone replacement center recently changed its name as the Attorney General's Office in Tennessee prepared to file a lawsuit against it.

HRC Medical Center, Inc., which is based in Nashville and has a local clinic at 5000 W 36th St., is now New Leaf Wellness, PLLC, according to the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota.

The Tennessee Attorney General says the company should be shut down because “it’s endangered the health of consumers without their knowledge, significantly impaired the quality of life for an untold number of consumers, and caused widespread economic loss," according to the statement from Dan Hendrickson, communications coordinator for the BBB.

Hendrickson released the statement Thursday, Oct. 25 (see the PDF with this story).

In December 2011, the BBB gave the clinic an "F" rating. In a news release at the time, the bureau said they received complaints from several customers about side effects such as facial and body hair, voice changes, and other physical appearance changes.

Coon Rapids resident Cheryl Wahl said she went to the St. Louis Park location beginning in late July 2011, but quit treatment after five weeks because she said she was feeling very ill. The treatment was supposed to last 18 weeks.

"I felt nothing but awful," Wahl said. She added that her symptoms were consistent with those reported as common by the BBB. "I haven't been the same since I first went. I've been nothing but sick."

"On October 10, a Tennessee judge issued a temporary restraining order against HRC requested by the Tennessee Attorney General," according to the BBB statement. "Shortly thereafter, the company’s headquarters location in Nashville was sold to former HRC employees and changed its name to Bella Vita Medical Center.

"On Sept. 14, the Minnesota HRC location registered a new name with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office—New Leaf Wellness, PLLC, and is now operating in the same offices formerly occupied by HRC Medical Center, and placing newspaper ads identical to those run previously by HRC."

“We find the timing of these name changes to be interesting, to say the least,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota, in the statement from Hendrickson. “People who are considering this treatment should be aware of the lawsuit in Tennessee, as well as the company’s track record of handling customer concerns. They should also make sure they understand the potential risks involved.”

According to the BBB, HRC Medical responded to the criticism with the following statement: "We have put forth our best efforts to accommodate the high demand for bio-identical hormone replacement, however, HRC Medical can 100% guarantee that a patient's targeted hormone levels will improve; however, symptom improvement is subject to each patient. Like all medical procedures, this is not an exact science; therefore, HRC Medical cannot guarantee results."