MILDEN - The premier of Saskatchewan was left with a head full of facts and figures behind perhaps one of our prairie province's most overlooked health problems - eating disorders.
On a visit to the village of Milden on Monday afternoon, September 9, Premier Scott Moe, together with local MLA and Minister of Energy and Resources Jim Reiter, toured the BridgePoint Center for Eating Disorder Recovery.
On a tour of the facility by executive director Carla Chabot and program director Lauralyn Blackburn, both Moe and Reiter had their eyes opened to both the demand for facilities and the programming such as what BridgePoint offers, as well as the financial picture, which sees the center receive modest funding while staff are continuously on the lookout for grant opportunities that may be on the horizon.
BridgePoint's programming is free of charge to Saskatchewan residents, funded by a partnership and service contract with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. With reliance on grants and donations over the last three years, the center has been able to pilot virtual treatments and programs delivered by its team of professionals who are specialized in eating disorder recovery. Virtual care has also allowed staff to alleviate pressure off the program's wait lists, reduce barriers to care, enhance its after-care programs, and increase the number of participants BridgePoint can care for.
The average age of an adult participant is 36 years old, while the average age of youth participants is 14 years. In addition, BridgePoint's annual report shows that 69% of participants in 2023 were new.
Walking the halls of the Milden facility, Chabot explained how the day-to-day operations at BridgePoint are carried out, whether it's for those who may be staying on-site in one of the center's equipped rooms or those who may be using the programming virtually online.
Some of the facts behind eating disorders help shed a light on how harmful they can be to residents of not only Saskatchewan, but across the country. It's said that only 1 in 10 people will access treatment for disordered eating or eating disorders, and that while full recovery is possible, it can prove to be a lengthy process and can run a span of two to nine years. As well, eating disorders are said to have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, proving that access to the right help at the right time, such as the work being done at BridgePoint, is important in order to achieve full recovery.
A 2020 study revealed that every 62 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder.
In addition to a tour of the center, Moe and Reiter were invited to sit down in the lounge and view a five-minute preview of an upcoming documentary film that BridgePoint had produced. Both were impressed by what it showed and also revealed, and there is said to be much anticipation over the release of the full feature film, which is also expected to be entered into film festivals over the coming months.
After some photos were taken outside the facility, Premier Moe shared his thoughts on the work done by the staff at BridgePoint.
"It's incredible work that's being carried out," said Moe. "With the opportunity for change in not only an individual's life, but a family's life and ultimately, by extension, the life that people have in our communities. It's happening right here, and we talked a little bit about the similarities of rehab when it comes to working with mental health recovery, and the work here is truly life changing for individuals and for families."
Moe said that the visit he had with Minister Reiter opened his eyes to the realities of running a center with as many layers as this one has in a smaller prairie community.
"It was very eye-opening," said Moe. "I simply hadn't thought about it as much as maybe one would think you had. Then we got into a discussion on all of the discussion that we're having on mental health and addictions recovery, and not just in Saskatchewan or Western Canada, or even Canada, but even around North America, and some of the consequences that addictions are bringing to our communities. I hadn't given sufficient thought to having a center like this that is focused on similar recovery from eating disorders."
Taking to social media following the visit by Moe and Reiter, the BridgePoint Center says the discussions had with both of them helped shed light on what staff are doing to combat the serious issue of eating disorders, as well as the challenges that come with funding such programming.
"It was an honor to share with Premier Scott Moe and our local MLA Jim Reiter the impact BridgePoint has through increasing the quality of life of our participants from across the province," the statement by BridgePoint reads. "We had valuable discussions about how our program, founded by the community, continues to serve the community. While there is much to celebrate, we discussed the ongoing challenges and opportunities before us to ensure that community-based organizations in Saskatchewan, like BridgePoint, remain sustainable."
