Senator Steve Santarsiero Recognizes February 27th through March 5th, 2023, as Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Pennsylvania

Bucks County, PA- February 28, 2023 – Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) introduced a resolution, SR 50, with Senator Tim Kearney (D-26) to recognize the week of February 27th through March 5th, 2023, as Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Pennsylvania.

Speaking on the resolution on the Senate Floor on Monday, Sen. Santarsiero said, “In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some point in their life. It is my hope that Eating Disorders Awareness Week will encourage people to share their stories and experiences to highlight the importance of screenings for early detection and interventions.”

The theme for 2023’s “Eating Disorders Awareness Week” is “It’s Time for Change”, to focus the message that now is the time to do more to combat disordered eating in Pennsylvania. The week is a collaborative effort consisting of organizations, volunteers, eating disorder professionals, health care providers, students, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers of eating disorders.

In addition to Senate Resolution 50, Senators Santarsiero and Kearney also proposed Senate Bill 294, which would require all health insurance policies provide adequate coverage for the treatment of eating disorders. This treatment would include inpatient hospitalization, residential treatment, follow up outpatient care, counseling and nutrition therapy services.

Senator Santarsiero has also circulated a co-sponsorship memo for another bill to combat eating disorders. This bill would require schools to annually provide educational resources on eating disorders to parents with children in 6th through 12th grades. Additionally, it would also develop a joint task force with the Departments of Education and Health to develop guidelines for the educational resources.

For more information or resources for eating disorders, visit the National Institute of Mental Health’s website.

Access the full video of Senator Santarsiero’s remarks on the Senate Floor here.

Access a full list of Senator Santarsiero’s co-sponsorship memoranda and introduced bills here.

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