UPDATE ON #AnnasLaw
Washington, DC
May 11, 2015
Legislative Counsel finalizing Anna Westin Act
As you probably know by now, the Anna Westin Act of 2015 (Anna's Law) is named in memory of Anna Selina Westin who died as a direct result of anorexia nervosa and inadequate access to treatment. Anna's mom, Kitty Westin, and her family, have been tireless advocates since Anna's death -in hopes of preventing another family from suffering like their family did as a result of anorexia. And, as you probably know by now, Anna's Law focuses on "The Three T's" --Training, Treatment and Truth in Advertising.
Now that we have the go-ahead from our champions on Capitol Hill to share more, we are thrilled to share with you "AnnasLaw Top 10" --the top 10 reasons we love what you helped create in #AnnasLaw:
1. #AnnasLaw is ZERO cost;
2. #AnnasLaw is bi-partisan from the start;
3. #AnnasLaw includes the following "FINDINGS:
(a) Risk of death among individuals with anorexia nervosa is
18 times greater than their same age peers without anorexia. It is estimated
that at least one person dies every 62 minutes from an eating disorder; at
least 23 persons each day; (b) Health consequences such as osteoporosis (brittle bones),
gastrointestinal complications, cardiac, and dental problems are significant
health and financial burdens throughout life; (c) At lowest estimate, 14.5 million Americans suffer from
eating disorders. One percent of adolescent boys and two percent of adolescent
girls suffer from eating disorders; eating disorders account for at least four
percent of all childhood hospitalizations; (d) Eating disorders are treatable biopsychosocial illnesses.
There is a high rate of co-morbidity with other illnesses such as depression,
substance abuse, or anxiety disorders; (e) Anorexia nervosa is
an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation, weight loss, fear of
gaining weight and disturbances in the way in which one’s body weight or shape
is experienced (body image disturbance);(g) Anorexia nervosa is associated with serious health
consequences including heart failure, kidney failure, osteoporosis, and death.
People who suffer anorexia nervosa are 57 times more likely to die of suicide
than their peers; (h) Bulimia nervosa has
a prevalence rate of 1.5 percent among American women, 0.5 percent among
American men; (i) Bulimia nervosa is associated with serious health
consequences, including cardiac, gastro intestinal, and dental problems
including irregular heartbeats, gastric rupture, peptic ulcer, tooth decay, and
death; (j) Binge eating disorder is characterized by frequent
episodes of uncontrolled overeating. Binge eating disorder is common: at lowest
estimate, 3.5 percent of American women and 2.0 percent of American men will
suffer from this disorder in their lifetime; (k) Binge eating is often associated with obesity, high blood
pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, elevated triglyceride levels, increased
risk of bowel, breast and reproductive cancers, increased risk of diabetes, and
increased risk of arthritic damage to the joints; (l) Many suffer from some, but not all, of the symptoms of
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, which is referred
to as other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED). Between 4 percent and
20 percent of young women practice unhealthy patterns of dieting, purging, and binge
eating; (m) Eating disorders are more common in women, but they do
occur in men. Rates of binge eating disorder are similar in females and males; (n) Academic evidence has demonstrated a connection between
the use of very thin models in advertising and consumer attitudes toward a
brand based on such advertising, as well as a material influence of the use of
such models on consumer purchase intent, conduct, and reliance; and (o) Eating disorders appear across all age groups, races,
ethnicities and socioeconomic groups in the United States and are associated
with substantial psychological problems, including depression, substance abuse,
and suicide. For children 12 years of age and younger, hospitalizations for
eating disorders increased by 119 percent between 1999 and 2006.
4. #AnnasLaw includes: TRAINING AND EDUCATION. In essence, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the
Director of the Office on Women’s Health of the Department of Health and Human
Services and in consultation with the Secretary of Education, will revise and then reinstate the BodyWise Handbook and
related fact sheets and resource lists available on the public Internet site of
the National Women’s Health Information Center sponsored by the Office on Women’s
Health, to include—updated findings and conclusions as needed; and thorough information about eating dis-orders relating to
males as well as females; incorporate information from such
BodyWise Handbook and related facts sheets and resource lists into the
curriculum of the BodyWorks obesity prevention program developed by the Office
on Women’s Health and training modules used in such obesity prevention program;
and promote and make publicly available (whether through a
public Internet site or other method that does not impose a fee on users) the
BodyWise Handbook and related fact sheets and resource lists, as updated under
paragraph (1), and the BodyWorks obesity prevention program, as updated under
paragraph (2), including for purposes of educating universities and nonprofit
entities on eating disorders.
5. #AnnasLaw includes: EDUCATION AND
TRAINING FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. In essence, grants will be awarded so grant recipients can integrate
training into existing curricula for primary care physicians, other licensed or
certified health and mental health professionals, and public health professionals that may include: (here's one of our favorite parts of the bill! --->) ‘‘early intervention and identification of eating
disorders; levels of treatment; how to properly refer patients to treatment; steps to aid in the prevention of the development of eating
disordered behaviors; and how to treat
individuals with eating disorders. Those who receive grants need to employ a training program that contains: evidence-based
findings, promising emerging best practices, or recommendations that pertain to
the identification, early intervention, prevention of the development of eating
disordered behaviors, and treatment of eating disorders to conduct educational
training and conferences, including Internet based courses and teleconferences,
on— how to help prevent the development of eating disordered
behaviors, identify, intervene early, and appropriately and adequately treat
eating disordered patients; how to identify individuals with eating disorders, and
those who are at risk for suffering from eating disorders and, therefore, at
risk for related severe medical and
mental health conditions; how to conduct a comprehensive assessment of
individual and familial health risk factors; and how to conduct a
comprehensive assessment of a treatment plan. The training will be evaluated after a period of time.
6. #AnnasLaw includes: EDUCATION
AND TRAINING FOR SCHOOL AND HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. In essence, grants will be awarded so grant recipients can conduct educational seminars for school personnel on eating disorders early identification, intervention,
and prevention of behaviors that are often associated with the development of
eating disordered behaviors; and make resources
available to individuals affected by eating disorders.
7. #AnnasLaw includes: PUBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS. In essence, the Director of National Institute of
Mental Health ("NIMH") will conduct a program of public service announcements to
educate the public on the types of eating disorders; the seriousness of eating disorders (including prevalence,
comorbidities, and physical and mental health consequences); how to identify, intervene, refer for treatment, and help
prevent behaviors that often lead to the development of eating disordered
behaviors; discrimination and bullying based on body size; the effects of media on self esteem and body image; and the signs and symptoms of eating disorders.
8. #AnnasLaw includes: CLARIFICATION OF EXISTING LAW. In essence, #AnnasLaw will aid in the implementing the Paul
Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008 so that the following is clarified: In the case of a
group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group or individual
health insurance coverage that providers both medical and surgical benefits and
mental health or substance use disorder benefits including coverage of
residential treatment services, the following shall apply: A permanent
exclusion of all benefits for a particular condition or disorder shall
constitute a treatment limitation for the purposes of and the policy clarification that applies to subacute mental health
and substance use disorder treatment and acute medical/surgical services, such
as hospice and skilled nursing.
9. #AnnasLaw includes: A REPORT BY FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION. In essence, Anna's Law means: Truth in Advertising. #AnnasLaw asks that the Federal Trade Commission submit to Congress a
report that contains a strategy to reduce the use, in advertising and other
media for the promotion of commercial products, of images that have been
altered to materially change the physical characteristics of the faces and
bodies of the individuals depicted; and recommendations for an appropriate, risk based regulatory
framework with respect to such use.
10. #AnnasLaw includes: ZERO COST. In essence, no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this Act or the amendments made by this Act. This Act and such amendments
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise made available for such purposes.
^^^^YOU made this possible!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your advocacy and using your voice to tell us what you wanted to see beyond the FREED Act.
ADDITIONAL THANKS:
A HUGE and HEARTFELT thank you to each and
every advocate and activist who took the time to tell us what they
wanted in legislation this Congressional session! Thanks to each of
YOU, the Anna Westin Act of 2015 will be introduced --and it is
bipartisan out of the gate!!
And perhaps most of all, OUR DEEPEST THANK YOU to the Westin family for not allowing anorexia to silence your voice. Thank you for allowing us the honor and privilege to know Anna through you. We wish with all our hearts that she was alive and well and advocating with us, in-person, on Capitol Hill. But we have a sense that she is with us and watching over the entire process --including the dreaming up of, creating, drafting, re-drafting, criticizing, editing, processing, revising, revising, revising...now finalizing and introducing, the Anna Westin Act of 2015.
We can hardly wait to see YOU on the Hill (and/or at Virtual Lobby Day) on May 13, 2015. Sincerely, ~the EDC
#TheTimeIsNow #AnnasLaw
PS: A full text copy of the bill will post shortly
after its introduction, on Thomas.gov --it takes a few days for folks on
the Hill to get the text up and officially on the website, so please be
patient and know/trust that we'll share it with you as soon as it's up!! (you know we'll be 'stalking' the Thomas.gov website until it's
up! ;-))
1. THANK YOU: to Congressman Ted Deutch and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for your dedication to our cause. Without your hard work, and your staff (especially Joel and Wes) we would not have such an incredible bill to advocate for, on behalf of ALL those impacted by #eatingdisorders. Looking forward to seeing you tonight and honoring you, our champions. 
