The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funded the Ontario Community Outreach Training Program for Eating Disorders in 1994 to increase involvement of the existing health care system in the provision of specialized services to people with eating disorders. The program is coordinated by a Director (Dr. Gail McVey) and a steering committee comprised of the eating disorder program Directors from both the University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital (TGH) (Dr. Marion Olmstead, Director of the Ambulatory Care Program, and original steering committee member Dr. Allan Kaplan) and The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) (Dr. Debra K Katzman and Dr. Leora Pinhas) and Dr. Ron Davis from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
The training is based on an evidence-based model of care carried out at both the TGH and HSC settings. In addition, knowledge generated from new research projects is shared on an ongoing basis with workshop participants. This allows information about current practices in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders to be shared in a timely fashion. Training occurs both centrally, where the practitioners come to the hospitals, and locally, whereby hospital staff travel to the regions, including remote areas (e.g., Northern region, aboriginal communities, etc).
The training has resulted in the development of a provincial network of specialized eating disorder service providers across Ontario, many of whom carry out their own training within their respective regions.
Click to download Eating Disorder Treatment Programs funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (PDF)
Eating disorders can be seriously debilitating conditions. Timely and appropriate intervention is essential to prevent chronicity and the diminished quality of life that too often results when left untreated. Unfortunately, there are significant gaps in the continuum of specialized care for this population in the province of Ontario. The mandate of the Outreach Program is to promote the spectrum of age-appropriate care throughout all regions of the province. Educating and supporting practitioners can facilitate access to community-based care for people with eating disorders. Regionalization of the continuum of care insures accessibility to timely and appropriate intervention.
The Outreach Program endeavours to achieve these goals by:
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in partnership with: