Alfred Health launches Ngamai Wilam: a state-of-the-art residential eating disorder treatment centre
Victoria’s first state-wide, publicly funded residential eating disorder treatment centre is getting ready to open, following completion of the impressive home’s build.
A significant milestone in eating disorder support services, Ngamai Wilam will offer treatment and care to adults over 18 years who experience severe and enduring eating disorders.
Director Statewide and Specialist Services Dr Jenny Babb said the new building and unique model of care will help meet the challenges of a growing mental health crisis.
“We know that the number of Victorians seeking emergency care for eating disorders has increased by over 40 per cent in the past year alone,” Dr Babb said.
“It's a figure that represents mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends and colleagues. It represents members of our community across all ages, genders, and backgrounds who are living with a condition that has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
“Ngamai Wilam will meet the needs of our community who are medically stable but require more support than can be offered through intensive community programs.”
Located in Armadale, seven kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, the purpose-built, 12 bed centre will support participants by giving them both the time and place to focus on their recovery, as well as adapt their relationship with food away from the stress of daily life for a period of up to 12 weeks.
An extensive co-design process was undertaken by Alfred Health across the entire project, empowering people with lived and living experience of eating disorders, specialist organisations and key players in the healthcare sector to shape the next chapter of treatment for eating disorders.
Outcomes from the three-year process have led to innovative architectural features that will support the centre’s innovative model of care. Lived experience advisor Amy Woods participated in the three-year co-design process and described it as “a rare opportunity to bring the voice of lived experience to the heart of care and treatment for eating disorders”.
“Having an eating disorder is an experience of such deep suffering, that having a place like this to come to, that isn’t a hospital that discharges you after 48 hours, is an opportunity that many people have never had access to,” Amy said.
“The lived experience co-design of this space has allowed us to go enhance the support being received, by looking at the impact of the place we are in when we receive it.”
Some of the centre’s co-designed features include a vegetable garden designed to help residents improve their relationship with food, a private dining room for family visits, and a commercial kitchen positioned out of sight.
“Throughout my time on this project I have had the opportunity to really consider how we translate notions like healing and safety, into our physical surroundings, the colours around us, the textures we are exposed to,” Amy said.
“Ngamai Wilam is creating a space where healing is at the core of it.”
Ngamai Wilam means ‘Home of sunrises and sunsets (the giver of life)’. The name was chosen by the project’s co-design team from several Boonwurrung language options provided by Senior Boonwurrung Woman, Caroline Martin.
Dr Babb said the centre’s name speaks to what can be achieved when lived experience is listened to and actioned collaboratively.
“This centre is not just a building,” Dr Babb said.
“It is a place of hope, healing and recovery.”
An intake process for Ngamai Wilam is set to begin mid-May, with first admissions occurring in June.
For more details on Ngamai Wilam visit the website here.
