From the 1st to the 7th of February, Hopewell Eating Disorder Support Centre is hosting events like webinars to offer guidance and a bit of hope for those affected.

Benjamin Richard – Local journalism Initiative

“We’ve been struggling a little bit with registration recently, but that’s a huge shock, because I think the stat is like 2.7 million Canadians at the moment are affected by eating disorders, 1.4 million of those are youth” shares Catherine Wenglowski, program coordinator for Hopewell.

Hopewell EDSC is a non-profit organisation in Ottawa offering support through facilitators for people suffering from eating disorders. The goal of the organisation is in part to lessen the strain on the hospitals by helping people getting better without the need of treatment, as Wenglowski says, “our big mission is just to fill in those gaps of care that exist in that, you know, area between hospitalization or medical treatment and society.”

Offering support to those less fortunate
“One thing I did really enjoy about Hopewell is that one it doesn’t ask for formal diagnosis and two, it is very conscious of financial difficulties” adds Camille Richard, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and one of the facilitators at Hopewell. Hopewell offers services for very low prices compared to private treatment, and offers a “pay what you can” program, so that people that can’t afford it are still able to receive treatment. “80% of people who aren’t accessing treatment, a big reason for that is financial constraints. Private treatment is so incredibly expensive” explains Wenglowski.