Illinois House Representatives Fred Crespo (left) and Sid
Mathias (right) presented ANAD president Vivian Hanson Meehan with an official
copy the State of Illinois House Resolution 42.
The resolution declares that due to the work of ANAD and
other eating disorder organizations; Illinois
law now recognizes that anorexia and bulimia are serious mental illnesses that
qualify for coverage under applicable health insurance plans.
The resolution also declares February 25, 2009 as Eating Disorders
Awareness Day in the State of Illinois.
The passage of this
bill is a gigantic win for those who fight for insurance parity for eating
disorders.
The presentation was made at the recent ANAD co-sponsor conference held
in Hoffman Estates, IL.
ANAD ADVOCATE MEETS WITH CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY. ANAD advocacy volunteer Nicole Boice, Temple University MSW Program, attended the announcement of the FREED Act (Federal Response to Eliminating Eating Disorders Act.) by Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D), RI. Nicole also met with other ANAD members and Congressman Kennedy. Kennedy is a strong supporter of mental health research, preventionand treatment.
Part of the agenda was listening to sufferers speak abouttheir battles with bulimia and anorexia, as well as hearing about Kennedy’s dedication in fighting for legislation such as the FREED Act.
The experience provided Nicole and other advocates anopportunity to reflect on the magnitude of the fight against eating disordersand the emotional and physical consequences sufferers and their families face. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
ANAD Applauds Congressional Passage of Limited Parity Bill!
Law Becomes Effective Starting in January 2010
A federal mental health parity bill was enacted into law on October 3, 2008. The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 narrows the gap in eating disorders health coverage and is a giant step forward in the struggle to obtain equal coverage of eating disorders.
ANAD, along with a broad coalition of health organizations, has been working for over a decade to fight against insurance discrimination and lower the barriers to eating disorders treatment.
ANAD joins with its advocates and other health organizations in celebrating this hard-fought victory to gain better coverage of eating disorders and other mental illnesses.
(See rest of story) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
ANAD HELPS DISPEL EATING DISORDER MYTHS ABOUT CULTURALLY DIVERSE GROUPS
ANAD was interviewed for an article published in DiversityInc., December 4, 2008, entitled, "Bulimia: Not Just a White, Overweight Woman's Disorder." The author Zayda Rivera, also interviewed Dr. Daniela Schreier, a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders across ethnicities. Dr. Schreier will be a presenter at the upcoming ANAD Regional Conference in February. She is quoted as saying,"Now, because we are becoming a more multicultural population and we see people starving themselves, we can't ignore it anymore. Secondly, nowadays we have more multicultural people in the field of research and psychology."
Cori Magnotta, Mrs. Connecticut 2007, Speaks Out About the Dangers of Pro-Ana Sites
I arrived at work to discover 118 new messages in my inbox. One after another, I opened threats and accusations of betrayal. My crime had been to speak out against the pro-anorexia online community.
Patrick Bergstrom Speaks Out About Anorexia Nervosa Athletes
"I am not just battling an eating disorder, but also the stigma of having a condition that is typically viewed as a female problem. It is not an issue that is often discussed in competitive world of male athletics much less lacrosse."
Patrick is a 25 year old athlete, former
Division III college lacrosse player recovering from a four-year battle with
anorexia nervosa. For the majority of
those years, his problem was diagnosed as merely a drinking problem. He was told, “men cannot suffer from an
eating disorder.” Patrick is a testimony
that men can not only suffer the horrible effects of a eating disorder, but can
successfully recover. Click here for Patrick's Story
Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund, was diagnosed with anorexia. Read the interview of this remarkable woman.
________________________________________________________________________________ Tell Us Your Story: Please tell us if you have been denied mental health coverage/treatment by your employer’s group health plan for an eating disorder and how the denial has affected you or your family. My story
The following facilities listed below are ANAD sponsors. If you or someone you know is looking for a patient treatment center, we invite you to click on our sponsors' logos and learn more about the services they provide. ________________________________________________________________________________
Remuda Ranchprovides inpatient and residential programs for women, girls and boys suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia, other Eating Disorders, and related issues. Our Christian programs offer hope & healing to patients of all beliefs.
Remuda East- Virginia
Remuda East reflects and embraces all that nature has to offer. Located one hour north of Richmond, Virginia, ourinpatient treatment programs reside on 500 acres of beautifully wooded land.
The professionals at Rader
Programs have been providing multidisciplinary eating disorder treatment
for over 25 years. Our staff of caring and experienced eating disorder
professionals who recognize the complexity of eating disorders and
understand the emotional, physical, nutritional,exercise, family and
social components.
Our treatment approach is centered on the
special needs of each individual, and we provide a nurturing, supportive environment to help individuals achieve recovery.
Eating Disorders Services of Rogers Memorial Hospital As the largest behavioral health provider in Wisconsin, Rogers Memorial Hospital offers specialized eating disorder treatment, 24-hour inpatient care, residential treatment and partial hospitalization for men,women, adolescents, and children. We provide specialized care for co-occurring anxiety disorders and a male-specific residential program.
Treatment is comprised of small, age-specific groups yielding the mostindividualized treatment possible.RogersMemorial uses evidence-based treatment components, including family, nutrition,movement, fitness and cognitive-behavioral therapies, as well as offeringsubstance abuse, spiritual counseling, and one-to-one support. Rogers Memorial is aspecialty nonprofit hospital with contracts for most major insuranceproviders to provide the best treatment options to the most people.
Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospitalis a freestanding JCAHO accredited multi-specialty behavioral health hospital in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. We are Disease Specific Certified in Eating Disorders, Self-Injury, and Chemical Dependency. Alexian Brothers specializes in Eating Disorders and treats both males and females, ages 11+ through the levels of care including Inpatient Hospitalization, Outpatient Programs, and Individualized therapy. The treatment approach of our clinically based program uses the Self-Regulatory Model.
Patients participate in an individualized treatment plan developed to meet their unique needs. Often times patients are suffering from co-existing issues which need specialized attention at the same time and we are able to address these issues through cross-tracking with our other programs.
Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospitalhas specialized programs treating self-injury, chemical dependency, OCD and related anxiety disorders including panic, PTSD, social anxiety and children with school refusal. We treat patients with depression, severe depression, survivors of trauma, violence, and other mood disorders.
Linden
Oaks at Edward. We all have a pretty good idea when we need to see a doctor or
go to the emergency room for our physical health. When it comes to our
mental health, sometimes it just doesn't seem as clear. And anyone
can be affected. That's why here at Linden
Oaks, we take care of adolescents,adults and
theelderly. It's estimated about half of all Americans
will experience a behavioral health disorder. Like ANAD, the Linden Oaks team believes
that people can and do recover from eating disorders. We treat every aspect of an individual –
biological, psychological, social and spiritual. In fact, you won’t find a
bigger facility with more qualified people to help you anywhere in the area.
Illinois House Representatives Fred Crespo (left) and Sid
Mathias (right) presented ANAD president Vivian Hanson Meehan with an official
copy the State of Illinois House Resolution 42.
ANAD ADVOCATE MEETS WITH CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY. 
ANAD HELPS DISPEL EATING DISORDER MYTHS
Patrick Bergstrom Speaks Out About Anorexia Nervosa Athletes
