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In the NoCo

For Coloradans struggling with eating disorders, better treatment options may be on the horizon

A bedroom at the new EDCare residential eating disorder treatment program, which opened in Denver recently
Courtesy of EDCare
A bedroom at the new EDCare residential eating disorder treatment program, which opened in Denver recently

Clinicians who treat patients with eating disorders have endured a perfect storm of challenges in recent years.

Specialists say the pandemic, and the years that followed, saw more people developing eating disorders and often taking longer to seek help. On top of that, treatment for these conditions is expensive. At the same time, lawmakers have heard terrible stories of patients being mistreated at clinics in Colorado.

Jennifer Brown has been covering this issue for The Colorado Sun. She remembers hearing from parents who tried to help their kids by finding a clinic where they could get help.

"It was just heartbreaking to hear from these moms saying that they thought they were doing the best they could for their kid, and, come to find out, their kid was feeling abused,” she said.

So how does Colorado – a national hub for this kind of treatment – address these issues?

Erin O’Toole spoke with Brown about the severity of these problems, and how new measures might offer patients better care in Colorado.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.