PROJECT HEAL - HELP TO EAT ACCEPT & LIVE

Project HEAL helps people access the opportunities and resources they need in order to heal from their eating disorder. We do this through advocacy, education, research, and direct service programs.

Advocacy goals:
- To change insurance policies to remove unnecessary barriers to admission, such as geography, out-of-network options, unscientific weight requirements, vague medical stability requirements, gender limits, etc.
- To improve insurance practices to incentivize more ED providers to get paneled and be in-network providers
- To expand on Mental Health Parity Act to require insurances, both private and public, to cover all clinically indicated levels of care required for eating disorder recovery
- To make eating disorder treatment competency a licensure requirement for all Masters and Doctoral level clinicians

Education goals:
- To shift the national conversation about eating disorder stereotypes to accurately reflect the data about eating disorder prevalence across every demographic
- To help U.S. residents understand their insurance benefits and their patient rights, empowering them to self-advocate for treatment coverage
- To bring eating disorders to the national stage and broader public awareness, and de-stigmatize the illness so that more people feel comfortable seeking help

Research goals:
- To quantify the barriers that individuals in the U.S. experience when they seek eating disorder treatment
- To leverage research data in policy change in the U.S.

Programmatic goals:
- Treatment Placement Program: to say yes to 100% of applicants who cannot afford appropriate treatment and whose insurance will not cover their treatment through free treatment donated by our treatment partners; to prioritize individuals with marginalized identities who experience additional barriers due to systemic bias and discrimination within the healthcare system
- Cash Assistance Program: to distribute at least $50,000 in direct cash grants and scholarships to pay for both identity-affirming care and tertiary costs associated with going to treatment
- Insurance Navigation Program: to help individuals secure single case agreements for out-of-network coverage, to help individuals obtain in-network authorization by advocating around arbitrary authorization roadblocks, and to help individuals find in-network providers

Advocacy strategies:
- We are a member of the Eating Disorder Coalition who drives policy change at the state and federal level
- We are launching an Eating Disorder Equity Task Force this year to unite the ED field around removing barriers to treatment access
- We work closely with The Kennedy Forum on mental health parity efforts
- We support research and legislation efforts locally and nationally

Education strategies:
- We host conversations with diverse voices on social media platforms
- We provide webinars to companies, schools, and other community groups
- We have a weekly blog where we publish stories by people with lived experience
- We publish daily content on social media platforms dispelling myths and educating folks on the latest research

Research strategies:
- We are actively conducting research in partnership with The University of Louisville re: barriers to treatment access, a first-of-its-kind study in the U.S.
- We will create a Barriers to Eating Disorder Treatment Report in 2022

Program strategies:
- We have a growing network of 110+ treatment centers and providers who donate their care to our beneficiaries
- We're launching an Identity-Affirming Scholarship program to pay for treatment for marginalized individuals to providers with shared identities
- We're building an Insurance Navigation Portal that will allow people to interactively self-educate about their insurance coverage, including a chat feature staffed by specialists
- We help people secure new insurance on the ACA marketplace during the annual open enrollment period
- We're launching a new Clinical Assessment Program to provide free clinician-led diagnostic interviews as well as a 10-page clinical summary with treatment recommendations

In the last 2 years, Project HEAL has experienced tremendous growth. We currently have the most diverse board of directors in the eating disorder field, with 13 directors, all united around our mission to expand access to quality eating disorder treatment. We also have a staff of 7, plus 3 new approved positions this year, to deliver our programs and expand our reach. We are fortunate to have 11 committed National Volunteers fulfilling concrete roles on the team, as well as 760+ Global Ambassadors raising awareness and funds for Project HEAL. We have 110+ treatment partners, and a solid & expanding funding base to support our growing work.

Since our inception, we've provided nearly 1,000 life-saving treatment grants to people with eating disorders.

In 2021 alone, we got 181 people into treatment, and served over 2,500 more through our program offerings. Through our community education channels, we reached over 400,000 people, exposing them to eating disorder information and our mission to help people heal.

Our strategic plan is our roadmap to achieving our three-year vision for Project HEAL to become the leading eating disorder nonprofit in the United States.

By the end of 2024...

Project HEAL will be known, respected, and trusted within the eating disorder field and the mental health field at large. We will be the first on the list of organizations to contact when eating disorders are in public discourse, and one of the primary places to send someone you love who is struggling with an eating disorder but doesn’t know where to start.

People from all walks of life and almost all ends of the political spectrum who are struggling with an eating disorder will understand that Project HEAL is a welcoming, available, and transformative resource in their healing journey. Our Board of Directors and staff representation will meaningfully reflect the broad spectrum of communities we serve, and in word and action, will embody the organizational values that we lift up as our North Star.

Project HEAL will be understood by lawmakers, insurance companies, researchers, and the mental healthcare industry to be a leading authority on all things eating disorders, with particular expertise in equitable treatment access and a proven track record of operating with a progressive, intersectional approach.

Project HEAL will become one of the primary organizations training eating disorder providers, partnering with clinicians to provide equitable treatment access, and shaping the national consciousness about eating disorders and the hope for healing in modern-day America.

We will maintain, cultivate, and nurture our positive relationships and impactful partnerships with all values-aligned organizations, providers, and donors.

Project HEAL will be a coveted partner for corporations and influencers that seek to make a positive impact on American culture when it comes to mental health, systemic change, healthcare equity, body acceptance, and/or healing our nation’s relationship with food. We’ll offer substantive value beyond an exchange of goods or co-promotion - they will be proud to show their own audiences and communities who they are and what they value by aligning with Project HEAL.

Above all, Project HEAL will deliver empathic, informed support for individuals with eating disorders. Our applicants and beneficiaries will feel consistently seen and provided for in their often isolating and arduous pursuit of eating disorder healing.