Federal grant funds eating disorder training for 30 tribal health providers in Alaska

Alaska has "no dedicated eating disorder care and no coordinated training pathways" for an estimated 65,000 Alaskans living with eating disorders, the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance wrote in project documents filed with the state this summer.

A $249,992 federal grant will start to change that. The Anchorage nonprofit will train at least 30 tribal healthcare providers across the state to screen for, diagnose and treat eating disorders, working through partnerships with three tribal health organizations the federal record does not name. Specialty care, the alliance says, is scarce or unavailable in rural and tribal communities.

The grant also pays for a family support program for caregivers in communities outside Anchorage, and a public awareness campaign on warning signs and where to find help.

The money is congressionally directed spending, meaning Congress named the alliance in an appropriations bill rather than the agency choosing it from a field of applicants. The work runs for one year beginning Sept. 30.