Dec
6
In 2007 the Eating Disorders Foundation has commenced an exciting new venture. We have employed two new part time staff members Sarah McMahon a psychologist and Paula Kotowicz a counsellor, to run a rural liaison programme aimed at minimising relapse of illness when rural patients are discharged from their inpatient eating disorder units in hospitals in Sydney. In the past, these country patients who are suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia have found that there is inadequate or no support in their local areas so their illness all too frequently relapses, sometimes with critical consequences. Sarah and Paula, working with The Children’s Hospital Westmead and Westmead Adolescent Unit, and Northside hospitals respectively, are piloting programs to assist these patients transitioning back to their rural community.
The Eating Disorders Foundation would like to thank Sportsgirl who have given us a grant through The Butterfly Foundation to fund Sarah’s position part time, and to the Trust Company of Australia for funding Paula’s position. We are hoping that we can develop this program into full time positions in order to provide country patients with an appropriate and meaningful level of support. Contact begins when patients are first admitted to the Sydney hospitals, relationships are then forged throughout the admission, which enables Sarah and Paula to play a critical and valuable role in the weeks following discharge.