Project HEAL’s New Initiatives
COVID-19 hit my city – New York – first and hardest. Around the same time, I was approached by Project HEAL’s Board of Directors to see if I was interested in transitioning from my Program Director role to become our new CEO. My first priority as CEO was to look ahead and foresee how a pandemic would significantly affect people with eating disorders, doubly so in the context of mass unemployment and loss of insurance.
Since April, 100% of our program applications have included reports of eating disorders either brought on or made much worse by the pandemic, as well as job loss, income loss, and insurance loss related to the pandemic. And of the applicants this year, 15% are BIPOC, 30% identify as LGBTQ+, and a staggering 92% represent another marginalized identity in the eating disorder community such as male-identifying, fat, disabled, veteran, over 24, or diagnosed with atypical anorexia, OSFED, or complex co-occurring conditions.
There are and will continue to be so many ways that the coronavirus negatively impacts the U.S., but one of the most troubling is the lasting impact for people with mental health struggles.
When I became CEO, I had no idea how long the pandemic would last or how much it would affect our community. But in spite of so much uncertainty, it was clear that we couldn’t wait any longer to clarify our mission and do a better job of serving people with eating disorders that the current systems have failed.
For too long, individuals experiencing cultural and systemic barriers to eating disorder recovery have not only been excluded from accessing care, but have also been disproportionately affected by financial and insurance barriers within our healthcare system. As the only major nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused on equitable treatment access, we needed to step up and do what we do, but much better.
Starting this year, we are launching three (3) new Treatment Equity Projects in addition to our COVID-19 Relief Fund. Each of our Treatment Equity Projects are focused on breaking down the systemic, healthcare, and financial barriers to eating disorder treatment that specific marginalized groups face. Through our BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Marginalized Communities Treatment Equity Projects, we are allocating our Insurance Navigation, Treatment Placement, and Cash Assistance programs’ resources to support groups that have been excluded from or harmed by the dominant narrative of “who has an eating disorder.”
As a queer female CEO, I am deeply focused on increasingly moving Project HEAL in the direction of inclusion, equity, and representation; and I admit we have a long way to go. I personally commit to dismantle oppressive systems wherever I find them, both within and around me, and invite support and accountability along the way.
If you are interested in helping to fund equitable treatment access for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or other marginalized communities, we would love to connect with you. Our three Treatment Equity Funds are currently available to support on our donate page, and each will soon have its own dedicated page on our new website launching at the end of this month!
Thank you for your commitment, encouragement, and accountability.
Rebecca Eyre, MA, LMHC
Project HEAL CEO