Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I was going to write a formal article for our January 2007 CEDAR Associates Review, but decided rather to bring in the new year in a letter format with some exciting news in the field of eating disorders.

Some of you may already know of the Eating Disorders Coalition, Inc. (EDC), a public policy organization in Washington, D.C. that is working “to increase awareness, educate policymakers, and promote understanding about the disabling and life-threatening effects of eating disorders.”  Some of the goals of the EDC include:

* Increasing federal support for improved access to treatment & professional training

* Raise awareness among policymakers about eating disorders

* Increase funding and support for scientific research on the causes, prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

CEDAR Associates is a member of the EDC.  On December 13, 2006, I participated in a teleconference in which Marc Lerro, Executive Director of the EDC, and Jeanine Cogan, Policy Director of the EDC informed the members who participated in the teleconference of EDC’s progress in their recommendations to Congress for the creation of a “Dream Bill for Eating Disorders.”

“The Eating Disorders Dream Bill™ is a set of recommendations for national public policy in the United States. Leaders in eating disorder research, treatment, and prevention drafted the recommendations between 2004 and 2005. The EDC is working for the adoption of the dream bill recommendations.”  It is hoped that the language from the EDC’s Recommendations will be turned into legislative language and ultimately be introduced as a Congressional Bill.

Some of the priorities that the Research, Treatment and Prevention & Education Recommendations include are obtaining accurate demographics and identification of persons at risk, costs for treatment, access to care, mortality, need for training and research centers, and prevention programs in schools. For a more information about the EDC and a more detailed understanding of the recommendations for the “Eating Disorder Dream Bill”, please visit their website at www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org 

There are a few Bills which are already scheduled to likely be re-introduced in the House & Senate which are specifically geared toward eating disorders  or which impact our work as providers of mental health treatment.  These Bills are the Impact Bill which would provide grants for training of health professionals to identify eating disorders in schools; the Eating Disorder Education Bill which targets eating disorder awareness and programs in schools K-12; and the Mental Health Parity Bill, which would put insurance reimbursement for mental health services on par with medical care.  For a more detailed explanation of these Bills and the Houses of Congress which are sponsoring them, please go to the EDC’s website.

This is an exciting and thankful time for all those involved or affected by eating disorders – practitioners, sufferers, family members, educators, students and the community at large.  There are an estimated 8 million Americans suffering with an eating disorder.  It is imperative that the work continues in educating people about causes and treatment as well as provide solid prevention programs, by qualified and trained professionals,  to stem the tide in the escalation of these disorders.     

There is a lot of know about treating eating disorders.  There is as much to know about how to prevent them.  With the passages of the Bills already scheduled to be re-introduced when Congress resumes in January and hopefully with the creation of a “Dream Bill for Eating Disorders,” a lot can happen. 

For those of you who treat eating disorders on a daily basis I hope that this news offers some hope to you and the patients and families that you treat. 

This has been an adventure in learning for me, a clinician, as I become more versed in the specifics of how Public Policy is created.  I remain eager to learn and CEDAR Associates remains committed to the EDC’s goals, which represent the goals of the eating disorder community.  We are also grateful for the work of Marc Lerro and Jeanine Cogan of the EDC. 

I wish a healthy new year to you as I keep in focus that with motivation, mobilization and support things change and goals are realized. We in the eating disorder community, both professional and those patients and families that we treat have something to feel hopeful about for the coming year!              

Warmly,

Judy