Imagine you’re a parent whose child is in dire need of eating disorder services. You’re distraught, drained and utterly confused as to why your child refuses to eat and are becoming increasingly concerned that your child is knocking on death’s door. You don’t know how you and your family got here, but you do know that something needs to be done before it’s too late.
After scrambling for service options, you discover the Auburn Eating Disorders Clinic (AEDC) located on Auburn University’s campus. Devastatingly, you learn that you’re in line behind over 10+ individuals with the same needs. Frantically, you search for more outpatient treatment centers, only to discover that there are only three in all of Alabama, all over 100 miles away.
Unfortunately, this scenario is common. Auburn University students and community members suffering from life-threatening eating disorders are often caught in a cycle of worsening health without treatment and limited access to care. It is crucial Auburn University invest more in eating disorder care as an institutional priority by allocating recurring funds to the AEDC that serves the Auburn Family and those all across our great state of Alabama.
Eating disorder care, especially across Alabama and on university campuses, is more important than ever. Eating disorders are the second most lethal mental illness, and someone dies every 52 minutes from an eating disorder. In Alabama alone, nearly 430,000 people will be impacted by an eating disorder during their life, and 28% of college students are at risk for developing an eating disorder. Having an eating disorder poses a significant obstacle to every student’s (and parents’) goal of graduating Auburn University.
College students suffering from eating disorders may have to medically withdraw and/or postpone graduation to participate in inpatient or residential care to become medically stable. Some students may not even be able to return due to the severity of their eating disorder. However, with appropriate institutional support and accessible treatment options, students with eating disorders would have lower risk of academic and occupational-related challenges.
Considering the consequences of eating disorders, early intervention, especially with an eating disorder specialist, is critical. However, we are living in a treatment desert for evidence-based eating disorder care in Alabama.
At the AEDC, our clinic has only two part-time graduate clinicians due to limited funding. Other on-campus options for students include the Eating Concerns Treatment Team at the Student Counseling and Psychological Services. This is a great option for clients that can reduce their eating disorder symptoms while meeting biweekly with a therapist for up to 10 sessions; however, it is less appropriate for someone with a low body mass index or severe eating disorder symptoms, leaving those struggling the most with few options.
Alabamians in need of care are often faced with limited treatment center options, long travel distances, and unaffordable costs – often forcing students and community members to separate from their roles or remain untreated. Given the limited access, those who go untreated with an eating disorder can experience irreversible damage to their physical health (e.g., cardiovascular complications, bone density issues), social connectedness and mental wellbeing. With access being scarce, the AEDC uniquely stands out as one of the only options for individuals to seek affordable, specialized treatment options that directly promote a healthy and thriving Auburn/Opelika community.
The AEDC is a vital training ground for Auburn University Clinical Psychology doctorate students, equipping the next generation of eating disorder specialists with hands-experience under expert supervision. In the time that the AEDC has been open since 2022, eight graduate clinicians have been trained and have provided evidence-based treatment to over 70+ clients across the state.
Given that costs of vital eating disorder care create a paywall for college students and community members navigating financial barriers, the AEDC works tirelessly to raise funds to offset treatment costs. Ironically, the little money that is raised often comes from the pockets of our own faculty, friends and family members. Consequently, we are limited in ability to fund additional graduate student clinicians that could reduce waitlist times and offset the cost of needed care. In contrast, our clinic has observed several ways in which Auburn has invested in its facilities (e.g., the $92 million football performance center, the $25.7 million jumbotron, $77 million for the College of Education buildings and $80 million for new student housing) and supported other forms of healthcare services (e.g., Student Counseling Psychological Services, Safe Harbor), but has left eating disorder funding to bootstrapping philanthropic efforts.
Given that the AEDC’s intent is seamlessly aligned with Auburn University’s mission of “improving the lives of the people of Alabama, the nation, and the world through forward-thinking education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, and selfless service,” it is time equitable access to eating disorder treatment be treated as an initiative rather than charity.
We call on Auburn University Student Affairs to consider financial investment in the AEDC to help feed the need for eating disorder services across campus. Investment in the AEDC would serve to increase accessible and affordable access to eating disorder care and reduce student suffering and dropout, further promoting a flourishing campus. Investing in the AEDC is in direct alignment with Auburn University’s initiative in promoting trailblazing graduate training opportunities. Supporting the AEDC is more than a financial decision - it is a reflection of Auburn’s promise to uphold “a sound mind, in a sound body” for every member of the Auburn Family. Auburn University distinctly states encouraging efforts designed to “enable our students, graduates, faculty and partners to transform the fruits of our research and scholarship into products, methods, and services that meet our communities’ most pressing needs.”
These institutional desires directly align with the AEDC’s mission to address ongoing eating disorder disparities via student training, graduate mentorship, and cutting-edge clinical research. Through intentional investment, Auburn University can transform lives and ensure that care is not a privilege, but a right. The path forward is clear: invest in the AEDC, invest in Auburn’s students and invest in a healthier Alabama.
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