What an incredible whirlwind. I’m currently blogging from an (oh-so-comfy) hotel bed in Reno, Nevada. I flew in last night and am flying home tomorrow, so I spent the day doing my Operation Beautiful thing. But first – I had to go on a run!
I absolutely wanted to see the downtown area of Reno on foot. It was some very interesting running scenery. I ran to a little Johnny Cash music. 😉
Have I mentioned that I am completely head over heels obsessed with the RunKeeper app? I haven’t worn a GPS watch in ages, but I always carry my phone (for safety and music purposes). This app uses the GPS on my phone to calculate pace, distance, and more.
I like how you can change the settings so you get more/less updates on your progress. I have it set to come on over my music every 5 minutes with a pace and distance update.
I would’ve loved to run further and longer, but I had to dash back to the hotel to get ready!
This Operation Beautiful event was held at the University of Nevada Reno, but it was co-sponsored by an eating disorder treatment facility called Center for Hope of the Sierras. I spent the morning doing a little media, and then I headed to the Center to meet with some of the women in treatment and tell them about Operation Beautiful. It was wonderful to meet and learn from everyone. <3
I also got to go to lunch with a few of the ladies from the Center, including Kate, who has been reading HTP for four+ years! So sweet.
I learned a lot from Kate and her coworkers about how hard it is to get insurance companies to cover enough residential treatment for eating disorders. It was actually pretty disheartening – I hate to think of patients (or their therapists) begging insurances companies for a few more days of treatment, but it happens all the time. This article from the New York Times on the subject is from a few years back, but it’s still full of good information on this hot-button issue, if you’re interested in learning more. I definitely want to research this issue further – I’d be curious to hear any stories of insurance successes or failures for ED treatment, if anyone is willing to share.
My speaking event was later in the evening. It was great. Well over 400 students showed up!
Just a reminder that this week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and if you want to learn more, you can head over to NEDA’s website, which has many great resources, including an online screening tool for eating disorders.
If you’re in the Reno area, please consider coming out to their NEDA Walk – it’s this Saturday. All the money raised by the walk goes back to NEDA.
And maybe, just maybe, would you help me celebrate the positivity, hope, and joy behind Operation Beautiful by posting a note sometime this weekend? Leave it in a bathroom, a library book, on a bus stop sign… You never know who will find it! Maybe it will be someone who really needs that kind thought.
E-mail me your note (operationbeautiful@gmail.com) and I’ll share it on the OB website for others to read and enjoy. <3
Thought of the Day:
“Fall down seven times, get up eight.â€
My sister has suffered from an eating disorder for over twelve years and the only residential treatment places she’s gotten her insurance to cover have been really, really crappy ones that are set up more like psychiatric hospitals- not the answer! There are some nice ones that do “scholarships,” which she was lucky enough to get for a place in Arizona once (she lives in Central CA), but without long-term, consistent follow-up care through the same program it’s a tough disease to get over. Insurance companies love to allocate x-amount of days to be covered, when in fact eating disorders are something that can require months and years to send into remission. I think in a time where there are so many newer “issues” to focus on eating disorders are sometimes spoken about almost nostalgically, so I’m so glad that there’s a time for renewed attention.