A new layer of service provision is being added to Ontario’s existing system of eating disorder care. With funding from the Ministry of Health, ED: PPEI will build local capacity for the delivery of evidence-based promotion, prevention, and early intervention for eating disorders.

This process begins with the build of a model of promotion, prevention and early intervention for eating disorders, led at the provincial level by Dr. Gail McVey, Director of the Ontario Community Outreach Program for Eating Disorders at University Health Network in partnership with 5 regional lead organizations across the province of Ontario (see table below).

Prevention research in eating disorders is in its third decade, and important strides have been made regarding evidence-based prevention programming and implementation science. Now, a literature review and evidence brief is being conducted by CAMH-PSSP to identify current best practice interventions drawn from the research literature to help guide the development of the ED: PPEI suite of interventions. Ontario stands to benefit from local and international contributions to the prevention field. 

Ontario has a longstanding program of intervention research in the prevention of eating disorders, funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Ontario Women’s Health Council and led by McVey and other eating disorder experts. Specifically, a 17-year program of sequential promotion, universal, and selective prevention research has been carried out (see Levine & McVey, 2015 for a summary of the Ontario Project). McVey and other eating disorder experts have engaged in extensive partnership development and knowledge translation of research findings and applied prevention strategies across the province.

OCOPED, in collaboration with five regional site leads, will establish a recommended suite of interventions and implementation plan involving a sequenced approach to identify readiness and capacity at the local level, opportunities for alignment with other promotion and prevention initiatives, and partnership development across the sectors.

Business case for eating disorders as a public health issue.

For further information, contact a Regional Site Lead or Dr. Gail McVey, Director, Ontario Community Outreach Program for Eating Disorders and Provincial Lead for ED: PPEI (gail.mcvey@ uhn.ca).

Table 1: Regional Site Leads

	Provincial Lead	Gail McVey	Director, OCOPED	gail.mcvey@ uhn.ca
	Windsor	Luciana Rosu-Sieza	Executive Director	luciana@ bana.ca
	Ottawa	Dr. Nicole Obeid	Lead, Research and Outcomes Management, Eating Disorder Program	nobeid@cheo.on.ca
	Toronto	Emily Tam	Special Projects Lead	emily.tam2@ uhn.ca
	Kenora Dryden Thunder Bay	Chelsea Socholotuk Kerry Gagne Karen DeGagne	Public Health Dietitian Family Health Team Regional Coordinator	csocholotuk@ nwhu.on.ca kgagne@ drhc.on.ca degagnek@ tbh.net
	Sudbury    Sudbury	Mélanie Martin   Maria Kostakos	Public Health Nurse/Infirmiere-hygieniste	martinm@ phsd.ca   mkosatkos@hsnsudbury.ca