New funding will cut wait times for eating disorder treatment programs in Manitoba, province says

People seeking treatment for eating disorders in Manitoba will now have more options and should experience significantly shorter wait times, after the Manitoba government announced it will spend $1.1 million to expand programs at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre.

Some of that money will go toward creating a safe nutrition clinic that provides meal supports for people receiving care for eating disorders, Health Minister Cameron Friesen said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

Disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating are the leading causes of death among all mental illnesses, Friesen said. It's estimated between five and eight per cent of women in Canada will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives. InManitoba, that percentage represents about 100,000 women, he said.

"That's a stunning thought. These are sad statistics, but we have to remember that behind these statistics there are people," Friesen said.

The new funding will add two in-patient beds for people being treated for eating disorders at the Health Sciences Centre, bringing the total number of beds available there to five, he said. It will also expand outpatient program capacity and improve programming for people dealing with both eating disorders and substance use issues.

Friesen said the funding will decrease wait times for treatment and keep people close to their support networks in Manitoba while they receive care.

For in-patient care, the wait is now expected to drop to one to two weeks down from two to 10 weeks, the province said in a news release. The wait for outpatient care is now expected to be two to three weeks, instead of four to six months.

Money that used to be earmarked to send Manitobans out of province for treatment will now be spent within the province, the release said. In the first six months of 2019, Manitoba spent more than $500,000 to send five people out of the province for care, it said.

'Lives will be saved,' says advocate

The2018 Virgo report on improving mental health and addictions services in Manitoba identified the need for more eating disorder resources in the province, Friesen noted.

He said the funding announced Wednesday is the latest effort by the province to better meet the needs of people struggling with mental illnesses.

Treating an eating disorder requires a dedicated, specialized team that is able to intervene early, said Dr. Louis Ludwig, medical director of the adult eating disorders program at the Health Sciences Centre.

On top of shortening wait times, the added in-patient beds and new nutrition clinic are expected to reduce the length of stay for some in-patients, said Ludwig. The bolstered outpatient programs, meanwhile,could eliminate the need for some patients to be admitted to hospital for treatment, he said.

Elaine Stevenson, whose daughter Alyssa died from anorexia in 2002 at the age of 24, said the new funding is a reminder that eating disorders are treatable and recoveryis possible.

"For far too long, this illness has been cloaked in shame, secrecy, silence and stigma. Eating disorders are not a choice," said Stevenson, who is also a co-founder of the Alyssa Stevenson Eating Disorder Memorial Trust.

"I believe that quality of life will be greatly improved [with this funding.] But more importantly, lives will be saved."