Victorians living with an eating disorder will receive the support they need to recover and live happy, healthy lives, thanks to an Andrews Labor Government funding boost.
Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley today announced $1.2 million for Victorian services to deliver programs that will improve quality of life for clients with an eating disorder and reduce hospital readmission rates.
Eating Disorders Victoria (EDV) can continue to deliver its unique Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) with an extra $250,000 in funding, while $617,000 will be provided to the Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED), ensuring it can continue to provide high-quality evidence-based care for people experiencing an eating disorder.
PMP involves one-on-one mentoring with an EDV employee who has recovered from an eating disorder and is designed to give hope to participants that recovery is possible.
The program is the only one of its kind in Australia, supporting adults with an eating disorder after discharge from a hospital inpatient unit or in transition out of an intensive day program.
PMP has been running since 2016 and more than 300 mentoring sessions have been held to date. An evaluation conducted in 2018 showed that 65 per cent of participants who completed the program were not readmitted to hospital.
The Labor Government is transforming the healthcare of people with a mental illness and will implement all the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
Royal Commission consultations continue across the state, with an interim report expected in November, followed by a final report in October 2020.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley
“Eating disorders are illnesses that anyone can develop. This vital funding will enable EDV support more people to access the Peer Mentoring Program in the year ahead.”
“The Peer Mentoring Program proves that people who share their lived experience play a huge role in the recovery process of others - their strength and support provide hope and a belief that recovery is possible.”
“While the Royal Commission gets to work paving the way for long-term reform, we’re working hard to improve mental health outcomes for people right across the state.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020