What We Are

River Centre Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established to promote research, training, and education related to eating disorders and other related problems. A volunteer board of trustees consisting of professionals, business leaders, family members, and interested members of the community oversee the management of the foundation.

Our Mission

River Centre Foundation works to further efforts toward understanding the causes, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders through empirically based research, professional training, patient advocacy, and the provision of community education.

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating Disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior. Persons diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa often display a persistent over concern with body size or shape, and engage in behaviors that include overeating or fasting, strenuous exercise, and self-induced vomiting aimed at decreasing body weight. Eating disorders and related eating problems involve a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that typically affect as many as 10 percent of women in late adolescence, but may occur at any age.

Research Programs

River Centre Foundation supports research aimed at understanding the complex factors that create and sustain eating and related disorders, and is interested in developing assessment and treatment outcome measures. David M. Garner, Ph.D., chair of the foundation’s Research Advisory Committee, oversees research activities.

Research projects are aimed at a broad range of topics related to the understanding and treatment of eating disorders. These include investigations of new diagnostic procedures, screening, and early identification, standardized assessment tools, factors that influence treatment outcomes, empirically validated interventions, and novel approaches to obesity treatment. Ongoing research has been conducted on further development and validation of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3), two of the most widely used psychological tests in the field of eating disorders.

Research results are shared with the medical and scientific communities. Findings are used to educate clinicians and other professionals on best practices related to assuring accurate diagnosis and effective treatment for persons with eating and related disorders.

Professional Training

River Centre Foundation has been approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor Continuing Education Credits for psychologists. The foundation is dedicated to professional training that is designed to improve the quality of care provided to individuals suffering from eating and related disorders. The foundation sponsors training for physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and mental healthcare professionals. Training focuses on empirically based findings, use of valid assessment tools, and effective treatment modalities.

Community Awareness

River Centre Foundation promotes public education and community awareness so that family members, school personnel, community healthcare workers, and the general public will better recognize and intervene early with people who are at risk of developing an eating disorder.

River Centre Foundation understands the importance of the general public’s role in fostering awareness about eating disorders and the effects of their potentially devastating consequences. The foundation will continue to develop educational materials and public service programs for schools and local community groups to teach awareness of eating disorders.

Advocacy

River Centre Foundation focuses on the need for advocacy related to parity for including eating disorders, along with other mental health services, as covered services with many insurers.

The foundation works to inform and educate legislators, governmental agencies, research organizations, and insurance companies about the need to provide improved funding for eating disorder treatment and research.

Ways You Can Help

River Centre Foundation recognizes that philanthropy is our gift to future generations. Charitable gifts are the foundation’s only means of support. Donors are needed to support the foundation’s goals of continued research, professional training, community awareness, and advocacy.

The foundation strives to be flexible in meeting the needs of potential donors. Thanks to the generous support of many local and regional friends, the foundation has implemented several charitable giving programs that enable contributors to give in a manner most convenient and best suited to their needs. There are a variety of ways to help — please consider one of the following:

• Unrestricted Cash Gifts
• Corporate Gifts
• Matching Gifts
• Real Estate
• Bequests
• Charitable Gift Annuities
• Life Insurance
• Named Endowments
• Grants

To make a contribution, please contact:

River Centre Foundation
5465 Main St.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(419) 885-8800

Contact us now at (419) 885-8800, fill out our Initial Information Form, or send e-mail to info@river-centre.org. Let us know how we can help you or your loved one recover from an eating disorder. All information you provide is kept strictly confidential.