Released on: June 11, 2008, 6:44 pm

Press Release Author: Dave Kowal

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: NORTHAMPTON, Mass., June 11, 2008 - One of the country's
leading hospitals for treating eating disorders, is opening an outpatient clinic at
109 Main St.


Press Release Body: NORTHAMPTON, Mass., June 11, 2008 - Walden Behavioral Care, LLC
of Waltham, one of the country's leading hospitals for treating eating disorders,
announced today that it is opening an outpatient clinic at 109 Main St.

The new facility will provide a partial hospitalization program, intensive
outpatient care and an adolescent program for patients as young as 13. Patients who
need more intensive treatment will be treated at Walden's Waltham facility. Walden
also has an agreement for Cooley Dickinson Hospital to provide emergency treatment
for Walden patients.

Last year Walden-Northampton began providing an evening Intensive Outpatient Program
for adults in a temporary site at 5 Strong Ave. Demand was high when it opened and
the patient census had been increasing steadily, according to Jennifer A. Smith, who
manages the Northampton facility.

Walden is among only a few healthcare providers in the country to offer a full
"continuum of care" for treating eating disorders. It provides in-patient care,
residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care at its Waltham
facility, in addition to psychiatric care.

"While eating disorders are common among women and men of all ages, they are
especially prevalent among college students," according to Walden President and CEO
Stuart L. Koman, Ph.D. "The demand for treatment is high in the five-college area
and, until now, there have been few options for those seeking treatment."

Walden renovated 2,600 square feet of space on the ground floor to provide a
welcoming environment for patients. The space, which formerly served as a branch
office of Fleet Bank, is centrally located in downtown Northampton near the
Hampshire County District Courthouse and is easily accessible using public
transportation. With an entrance on Gothic Street, the space features separate
office, treatment and kitchen areas for adults and adolescents, and is designed to
maintain patient privacy.

In addition to Smith, program staff in the new location will include a nutritionist,
a psychiatrist, an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), social workers ,
mental-health counselors and an office manager.

Walden, which opened in 2003 at the former Waltham Hospital (now known as Children's
Hospital Boston at Waltham), developed a "whole health" approach to treating eating
disorders. Recognizing that many patients with eating disorders also have
psychiatric disorders and vice versa, Walden treats co-occurring disorders
concurrently. It also treats each patient's medical needs, as well as providing
behavioral therapy and nutritional programs.

Koman and Walden Chairman David Fassler, M.D. were pioneers in developing the
"continuum of care" approach as founders of the former Choate Health Systems.

"Our treatment adjusts to the needs of our patients, rather than expecting patients
to adjust to the treatment they receive," Dr. Koman said. "Recovery from an eating
disorder is gradual. It would be difficult to go directly from intensive inpatient
treatment with 24-hour supervision to independent living at home. Instead, we
adjust treatment as the patient advances or has relapses."

An interdisciplinary team examines each patient before the patient is admitted and a
treatment program is designed based on the patient's specific needs. Because Walden
offers a continuum of programs, it can design treatment for each patient, Dr. Koman
said. In addition, as treatment needs change, the patient can remain at Walden,
instead of moving from one program to another.


The Northampton program is Walden's first satellite program, but Koman said others
are being planned.

Walden treats a variety of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, a
psychological disorder characterized by an aversion to eating and fear of gaining
weight; bulimia nervosa, a condition where sufferers typically purge food they have
eaten by self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or other means, and binge eating
disorder, which is characterized by uncontrollable, excessive eating.

"Eating disorders often are accompanied by other health issues, including substance
abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma or self-harming behavior," Dr. Koman
said. "Walden takes a 'whole health' approach and has the expertise to diagnose and
treat not only eating disorders, but any associated healthcare problems the patient
may have."

About Walden Behavioral Care
Walden Behavioral Care, LLC of Waltham, Mass. integrates medical therapies and
lifestyle changes for patients with mental illness, eating disorders and addictions.
By treating mental and physical conditions concurrently, Walden helps achieve
lasting results for those who seek a meaningful recovery. Additional information is
available on Walden's Web site at www.waldenbehavioralcare.com.
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Web Site: http://www.waldenbehavioralcare.com

Contact Details: Maggie Moran
Walden Behavioral Care, LLC
781-647-6702
mmoran@waldenbehavioralcare.com