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Battling eating disorders

Nationally known eating-disorder treatment center to open in Caroline County

Date published: 10/22/2006

By JANET MARSHALL

By the end of next year, people struggling with eating disorders will be able to get help in Caroline County, at a residential center run by one of the country's leading treatment groups.

The center will be called Remuda East--an affiliate of Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders, which has treated more than 7,000 girls and women since opening in 1990 in Arizona.

Intractable and prevalent, eating disorders afflict more than 10 million women and girls, said Amy Spahr, the program's executive director of clinical services.

Remuda treats patients holistically, with therapy that takes their medical, spiritual, nutritional and psychological needs into account. The treatment team includes dietitians, medical doctors, psychologists, equine therapists and body image staff.

Together, the professionals and patients work to uncover and address the root causes of the disorder.

"It's not about what they eat," Spahr said of patients. "It's about what [they're] feeling."

People who seek treatment at Remuda spend from 45 to 60 days as inpatients, then transition into separate, residential housing where they receive support but ease back into independent lives.

Remuda tracks how its patients do after leaving. One of its surveys showed more than 90 percent of patients no longer met the criteria for an eating-disorder diagnosis a year after leaving.

Nancy Farrell, a local registered dietitian, said having a nationally recognized center in Caroline will provide local eating-disorder sufferers with a convenient treatment option.

Farrell said she's referred clients in the past to The Renfrew Center, another nationally known treatment facility, because it has centers in Pennsylvania. Farrell said she knew of no comparable facility closer.

"I think we're fortunate if the [Remuda] facility comes to this area," said Farrell, wellness dietitian for the Spotsylvania County schools.

Ferrell said she hadn't referred clients to Remuda in the past simply because of its Arizona location.

"I knew they were a great facility," Ferrell said. "And it was far away."

Family involvement is often critical to the recovery process, because family dynamics can be a factor in the disorder. So proximity to a center can be significant for patients and their families.

At Remuda, families spend a week at the center during family week, where they address family communication, nutrition and other issues.

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Date published: 10/22/2006