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The Missouri Eating Disorders Council, in collaboration with appropriate organizations and stakeholders, in addition to the Departments of Mental Health, Health and Senior Services, Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education, will lead the development of eating disorders education, awareness and research initiatives throughout the state, and promote increased access to treatments supported by clinical practice guidelines (i.e., considering the relevant scientific literature, as well as the potential harms and benefits of treatment for each case).1-3
The Council will focus on children, adolescents, and adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), atypical AN, sub threshold BN, sub threshold BED, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). These are the major diagnostic categories included in DSM-5.4 It will include the sub threshold diagnoses (atypical AN, sub threshold BN, sub threshold BED) because patients with these disorders demonstrate levels of distress and/or impairment similar to full-syndrome AN, BN, and BED.5
Eating disorder awareness, detection, prevention, treatment and recovery is of paramount importance and must start early. Early intervention is linked to better treatment outcomes, but requires enhanced awareness and screening.6 The Council will focus on helping professionals to recognize individuals with eating disorders and individuals at high risk for developing an eating disorder (e.g., those with high weight/shape concerns or low levels of compensatory behaviors).7-8 The Council will advocate for increased access to care for this population, as well as promote early intervention and prevention programs and recovery supports.
The absence of adequate coverage for treatment is a critical barrier to access to care for the patient.9 The high costs of medical complications, disability, and loss of life are significant health concerns.10-12 The Council will advocate for third party reimbursement for eating disorders, including coverage through private and public insurance plans.
The Council will work with identified partners, including state departments, to develop an eating disorders awareness program that targets patients with eating disorders as well as non-patient community members. This program will be designed to communicate that eating disorders are serious illnesses that require complete treatment, and to foster recognition of eating disorder symptoms and support for seeking treatment. The objectives of the awareness program are to educate Missouri citizens on the true and serious nature of the disease, dispel myths on who is affected, drive early intervention and encourage appropriate treatment for those suffering or those at risk.
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The Young Carers Program of Hospice Toronto is a GTA based program supporting children and youth 5-18 who are in a caregiving role for a family member living with a chronic or life-threatening illness, a disability, a mental illness or addiction, or a language barrier.
The Young Carers Program offers programs, workshops and special events throughout Toronto to support Young Carers. The therapeutic and recreational programs offer Young Carers opportunities to foster resilience, build skills, connect to peers and just have fun! Programs include, but are not limited to, cooking workshops, sports programs, camp, expressive arts, games, day trips, homework help, leadership workshops, medical education, and so much more!
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When it comes to dealing with grief, it can be a challenge to find the resources we need to educate ourselves and our loved ones on what is happening and how to best keep going forward.
Having been down this road, we want to give back. We want to reach out to those who are earlier on this road. We cannot make your pain go away, nor can we provide answers for you. What we can do is help you to find the tools that you need to work through your grief journey. Thus was born The Grief Toolbox. The Grief Toolbox is an ambitious project. Its goal is to be an all-encompassing place for grief tools: a singular area where a person can find all the resources they need to help them with that grief that neither time nor money can solve.
We here at the Grief Toolbox understand that needs change as we go from the raw encompassing pain of the first year to the stark reality of the second year, and then to the growth and reinventing ourselves of the middle years to the acceptance and blessing that now coexists with the pain and love that will always be a part of our life.
Grief, in our opinion, falls into two categories: grief that can be solved with time or money, and grief that can not be solved. If you leave your favorite coat on a plane, with time and money you can replace it and the grief will slowly fade. However, with the loss of a loved one - whether a spouse, a parent, a child or a sibling - no time and no amount of money will make this grief go away.
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Established in 1993, First Candle is the leading national non-profit committed to ending Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), accidental infant suffocation and preventable stillbirths while providing bereavement support to those families who have experienced a loss. Every year in this country 27,000 babies die due to SIDS, other sleep-related issues or are stillborn. SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age. Through our program, Straight Talk for Infant Safe Sleep, we educate parents, caregivers and other care providers on the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines which could reduce the rate of SIDS and accidental suffocation by 50%.
We support researchers who are leading the way in identifying the causes of SIDS and stillbirth and collaborate with other organizations around the world who are doing the same. And, for those parents, sibling and other family members who have experienced a loss, we provide bereavement support materials, online support groups, a grief line and peer counselors.
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This Is My Brave, Inc. is a national nonprofit dedicated to mental health storytelling. Through our flagship program, This Is My Brave - The Show, we invite individuals to share their personal stories of overcoming mental illness and/or substance use disorder using poetry, essay, original music and comedy on stage in front of a live audience in order to break down stigma and let others know they are not alone. Since 2014, we have produced over 100 shows and featured the stories of 1000 storytellers. All our shows are professionally videotaped and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
We also encourage storytelling through virtual events and platforms, like Brave the Storm 5K, Teen Mental Health Month, Jay Walkers, and our blog.
#Storytelling Saves Lives
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A Fresh Chapter is a non-profit organization that facilitates life-changing volunteer and leadership experiences to empower individuals both in the U.S. and abroad impacted by cancer. AFC programs blend volunteerism and meaningful travel to connect cancer patients and caregivers around the globe, and focus on healing the often over-looked emotional scars left by cancer. AFC’s perspective-shifting journeys to places like India, Peru and Kenya help participants reframe adversity and discover a new perspective and purpose in their lives.
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The Veteran Family Wellness Center (VFWC) provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all Veterans and their families including parents, couples, and kids. Our Center is part of a unique partnership between the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
Our dedicated team of skilled providers are experts in the unique needs of Veteran families and experienced in providing a range of wellness services including individual, family and couples’ resilience programming, events and workshops and quality referrals to mental health care and other resources. We are also pleased to provide fun recreational activities designed to promote family and child well‐being in the adjacent garden. Services are available via our secure TeleWellness platform.
The VFWC is open to Veteran families for both drop-in and scheduled services during family friendly hours.
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"The first and most important benefit of Inspire is instantaneous: realizing that you are not alone with your diagnosis. No matter how remote in the world you may feel or how isolating your diagnosis, Inspire is that corner café or pub where everyone pulls up a chair to meet over shared concerns and learn something new."
Inspire was created with the belief that patients and caregivers need a safe and secure place to support and connect with one another.
We strive to be ethical and transparent, and we never forget that our community is built upon the trust of our members. We place the utmost value on this trust, and maintaining it is our highest priority.
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The Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan is the go-to source for mental health awareness and education. Our mission is to create communities that have good mental health by inspiring people to recognize, understand, accept, and take action.
Our leading program:
be nice. is a mental health education program for schools, businesses, faith congregations, and communities. The be nice. Action Plan to notice, invite, challenge and empower is proven to change, improve, and save lives. Learn more by Taking the Pledge on www.benice.org.
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The Erika Whitmore Godwin Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, has five primary goals: (1) to provide hope and support to any parent who loses a child; (2) to support siblings, family members, and friends impacted by the death of a child; (3) to educate the public about the loss of a child, letting them know how they can support parents in rebuilding their lives; (4) to educate and collaborate with professionals who deal with the death of a child; and, (5) to provide ways for parents to honor their child.
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