SMHS ‘Kara Maar’ specialist eating disorder service opens in Cockburn
Minister for Health Amber-Jade Sanderson (third from left) at the opening of the Kara Maar Specialist Eating Disorder Clinic
South Metropolitan Health Service is proud to have opened a new purpose-built eating disorder service in Cockburn with the Minister for Health.
The new SMHS Kara Maar service offers triage and assessment, multidisciplinary outpatient clinics, day programs, meal support, care coordination and clinical monitoring for people aged 16 years and older and is now receiving referrals for people who have recently been an inpatient at SMHS.
The first patients will attend the service in late this month, with plans to expand to other patient groups in 2024. Patients will receive care tailored to their individual needs by a highly skilled team of health specialists, including psychiatrists, psychologists, dieticians, social workers, and Aboriginal mental health workers.
Consultation rooms, a sensory room to support patients to manage emotional distress, a lounge area and audio-visual connections for telehealth are features of the purpose-built facility. In a WA first, the service design also includes an inbuilt kitchen with meal preparation and cooking areas, and a dining area providing therapeutic interventions for patients.
The SMHS Community Specialist Eating Disorders’ Project Lead Adriana Mannino said the team is proud to join with East and North Metropolitan Health Services who are already operating a similar service and who will move into their purpose-built accommodations in 2024.
“The Kara Maar service’s step-up, step-down model is built on the principles of person-centred and evidence-based care and aligned to the National Eating Disorders Collaboration stepped system of care - a continuum of primary, secondary and tertiary health care settings for inpatient or community patients,” Adriana said.
The name Kara Maar was developed in consultation with local Elders. ‘Kara’ is the Noongar name for the milkmaid plant, an edible flower and food source representing sustenance. ‘Maar’ is the Noongar name for ‘hand’, signifying the service’s support and healing for patients on their recovery journey.
A satellite Kara Maar service has also been established at Peel Health Hub in Mandurah.
