Samantha’s Story
Over 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from eating disorders, yet 24 million never receive treatment.
If only 20% of people with eating disorders can access care, the system is broken.
Samantha was among the 80% for whom the current treatment and healthcare systems aren't working. Sam didn’t fit the eating disorder stereotype – and this reality was an enormous detriment to her ability to recover.
As a Black, 29-year-old queer woman, Sam struggled with bulimia for over a decade while her doctors ignored the red flags, prescribed dangerous diets, and didn’t take her seriously when she directly asked for their help. One doctor even praised her for “vomiting from time to time to keep the weight off” and encouraged her to get a scale to “keep her health in check.”
When she tried to admit herself to a residential facility, her insurer denied coverage because she was deemed “medically stable” and therefore “not sick enough” to warrant a payout of her benefits. Meanwhile, there were no other eating disorder specialists in her insurance network to provide even baseline care.
She worked 50 hours a week to make rent and had no available paid time off or extra income to pay for treatment that her insurance wouldn’t cover.
At the end of her rope, but determined to find freedom from her eating disorder, Sam reached out to Project HEAL.
As Sam and millions of others know firsthand, treatment access for mental illnesses, especially eating disorders, is incredibly difficult for most and impossible for many. The healthcare and treatment systems that are supposed to be aiding in the recovery process are expensive and exclusive, only accessible for a privileged few.
The reality is that people with eating disorders need help getting life-saving treatment today. Eating disorders kill one person every 52 minutes. Waiting isn't an option. Project HEAL offers support to get immediate care through our Insurance Navigation, Treatment Placement, and Cash Assistance programs. Through these services, we help the most vulnerable individuals with eating disorders get the critical treatment they need and have been denied.
Thanks to our donors, we were able to get Sam’s residential treatment covered through our Insurance Navigation Program. We paid for her travel to and from treatment through our Cash Assistance Program. And we had free outpatient treatment waiting for her once she discharged from residential through our Treatment Placement Program, thanks to a HEALers Circle partner provider.
Sam was able to get the care she needed because of the generosity and support from our community. She finally heard “yes” after hearing “no” a hundred times in her recovery process. Her chance at a life not defined by her eating disorder is now within reach.
Help more people like Sam access life-saving treatment through Project HEAL.