Happy Birthday Wandi Nerida: Australian-First Eating Disorder Recovery Centre Turns One
Friday 12 August 2022
Butterfly is celebrating the birthday of Australia’s first residential eating disorder recovery centre. It’s been a year since the doors of Wandi Nerida opened and began changing the eating disorder treatment landscape in Australia.
Although Wandi Nerida has been faced with floods, COVID and the technicalities of running a private hospital while creating a home like environment, its staff are very much looking forward to welcoming many more people through its doors.
Jodie Ashworth, Director of Wandi Nerida says a lot of learning and reflection on how to make recovery a reality has occurred over the last year, but there is still so much more to be done to ensure equitable access to residential care is possible across Australia.
“While we commemorate this milestone, we also acknowledge the significant work that still needs to be undertaken to ensure eating disorder care and treatment in Australia is accessible to all. We are pleased Wandi Nerida’s model of care will be used to inform future residential centres, and we are looking forward to collaborating with stakeholders to bring them to life.”
Former Wandi Nerida participant, Hayley*, reflected on her time at the centre, saying that it has made an immense difference to her eating disorder recovery journey.
“I don’t think words can describe what this journey has been like. It has been the hardest, most painful thing I have ever done, but also the most freeing. As I prepare to leave today, I have the one thing that I didn’t believe is possible to have – hope,” she said.
Wandi Nerida is a purpose-built treatment facility located on 25 acres of serene bushland on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, which is 100% owned and operated by Butterfly. It provides a much-needed bridge between hospital admission and outpatient care.
Ongoing support of public and private donors is integral to ensuring the facility can help as many people as possible.
For all donation related enquiries contact Rebecca.havas@butterfly.org.au. For information about how to apply to Wandi Nerida head to: https://wandinerida.org.au/
-ENDS-
Editor’s Note
Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders. Please include the following helpline message.
Help and Support
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:
- Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au
- For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
