Caribou hospital
to host eating disorders expert
CARIBOU — Mary Orear, BA, MA, founder and director of Mainely Girls, will be at Cary Medical Center in Caribou this month to discuss a growing concern among adolescents — eating disorders.
The program, scheduled for Monday, April 22 from 5–7 p.m. has been made possible in part by a grant from the Bingham Program and the Sadie and Harry Davis Foundation. The target audience for the presentation is area professionals including; school nurses, guidance counselors, primary health care providers, treatment professionals and dietitians.
According to Orear, eating disorders are now impacting younger individuals.
“The age of onset for eating disorders is becoming increasingly younger,” said Orear, who is founder director of the Maine Eating Disorders Network. “Today, 85 percent of those who develop eating disorders do so before the age of 20. It’s not unusual to find middle school students with eating disorders and now even some students in elementary school.”
During the meeting in the Chan Center at Cary Medical Center, Orear will offer a Power Point presentation providing an overview of eating disorders, the causes and symptoms, and will then focus on the important roles of the school nurse and guidance counselor, the medical provider, the therapist and the dietitian.
Packets of materials will be distributed to those who attend the meeting along with a list of professionals trained in the treatment of eating disorders who work in the area. Additional treatment options will be discussed including the use of telemedicine. Prevention programs for middle school students and other resources will be recommended and a follow-up Power Point for use at faculty meetings will be e-mailed.
Orear, of Rockport, taught middle and high school students for 23 years before becoming the founder/director of Mainely Girls. She is also the president of the newly-formed Eating Disorders Association of Maine (EDAM) and the project director of the New Hampshire Eating Disorders Education Prevention and Treatment Project.
For more information or to reserve a space for the program, call the Office of Community Relations at Cary Medical Center 498-1112.
