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| Abbreviation | NEDA |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 4, 1987; 37 years ago (1987-05-04) |
| Merger of | Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention, American Anorexia Bulimia Association |
| Tax ID no. | 13-3444882 |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | To support individuals and families affected by eating disorders and to serve as a catalyst for prevention, cures, and access to quality care. |
| Headquarters | 333 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 214, White Plains, New York 10605, United States |
| Revenue | $3,935,171 (2016) |
| Expenses | $3,619,563 (2016) |
| Employees | 12 (2023) |
| Volunteers | 300 (2015) |
| Website | www |
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is an American non-profit organization devoted to preventing eating disorders, providing treatment referrals, and increasing the education and understanding of eating disorders, weight, and body image.
History
In 2001, Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention and the American Anorexia Bulimia Association merged to form the National Eating Disorders Association. At the time, Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention and the American Anorexia Bulimia Association were "the largest and longest standing eating disorders prevention and advocacy organizations in the world".
In a 2018 report for the Skeptical Inquirer, Ben Radford alleged that there were "many examples of flawed, misleading, and sometimes completely wrong information and data being copied and widely disseminated among eating disorder organizations and educators without anyone bothering to consult the original research to verify its accuracy". Radford states that misleading statistics and data have been ignored by organizations like the National Eating Disorder Association, who has not released the data for "incidence of anorexia from 1984-2017". He states that each agency continues to report incorrect numbers assuming that someone else has checked the accuracy.
Accusations of Union Busting
On 24 May 2023, NPR broke the story that a NEDA executive had chosen to fire all helpline staff and dismiss hundreds of volunteers four days after the helpline workers certified their vote to unionize. According to Fortune, the new AI bot is set to replace workers on June 1st, 2023. Six full-time staff members and all of the over 200 volunteers they oversee are being dismissed. The chief architects of the alleged union busting were NEDA Chairman Geoffrey Craddock, who is on leaked audio firing the staff, and NEDA CEO Elizabeth Thompson. Their replacement is an AI chatbot named “Tessa,” whose creator, Dr. Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft of Washington University of St. Louis, is on record stating that the bot is not capable of replicating human empathy or responding to complex, open-ended discussions with people in crisis.
The helpline workers formed “Helpline Associates United” joined Communications Workers of America (CWA), Chapter 1101. HLA member Abbie Harper wrote on their website, “We asked for adequate staffing and ongoing training to keep up with our changing and growing Helpline, and opportunities for promotion to grow within NEDA. We didn’t even ask for more money. When NEDA refused , we filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board and won on March 17. Then, four days after our election results were certified, all four of us were told we were being let go and replaced by a chatbot.”
Vice later reported that the chatbot failed to respond to basic statements like, “I’m feeling down,” and “I hate my body.” Gizmodo reported that the chatbot failed to respond to prompts including, “I want to be thin so badly.” A spokesman for NEDA denied that the chatbot was meant to replace the human helpline. NEDA’s unilateral firing of the newly unionized employees was announced four days after the union’s certification by the National Labor Relations Board and allegedly violated Section 8(a)(1) and (5) of the National Labor Relations Act. Harper wrote, “NEDA claims this was a long-anticipated change and that AI can better serve those with eating disorders. But do not be fooled—this isn’t really about a chatbot. This is about union busting, plain and simple.”
Activities
NEDA holds "National Eating Disorder Awareness Week" annually during the last week of February. It has hosted charity walks for eating disorder awareness in various U.S. cities.
In 2012, NEDA launched Proud2BMe, a website aimed at teenagers to promote positive body image and healthy eating.
See also
- Eating Disorders Coalition
- Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.)
References
- "National Eating Disorders Association". Division of Corporations. Delaware Department of State. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "National Eating Disorders Association". Tax Exempt Organization Search. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". National Eating Disorders Association. Guidestar. April 30, 2016.
- "National Eating Disorders Association". Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- Radford, Ben (2018). "Medical Misinformation in the Media: Is Anorexia on the Rise?". Skeptical Inquirer. 42 (1). Committee for Skeptical Inquirer: 46–49.
- ^ Wells, Kate (24 May 2023). "Can a chatbot help people with eating disorders as well as another human?".
- "AI chatbot will replace human helpline workers at National Eating Disorder Association". Fortune Well. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- "National Eating Disorder Association replaces human helpline staff with an AI chatbot". Yahoo Finance. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "A Union Busting Chatbot? Eating Disorders Nonprofit Puts the 'AI' in Retaliation". Labor Notes. 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ Xiang, Chloe (2023-05-25). "Eating Disorder Helpline Fires Staff, Transitions to Chatbot After Unionization". Vice. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- "Eating Disorder Helpline to Replace Human Staff With AI Chatbot". Gizmodo. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- Henry, Joseph (26 May 2023). "NEDA disbands long-running telephone helpline to replace it with an AI Chatbot".
- NEDA Helpline Associates Union (2 April 2023). "Union Busting is Disgusting: Our Official Statement".
- Costin, p. 297.
- Serterides, Allie (2023-02-28). "39th annual Eating Disorders Awareness Week emphasizes strength through experience, knowledge". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- Trezza, Matt (2023-05-13). "Orlando community walks with NEDA to support those with eating disorders". FOX 35 Orlando. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- "ASU alumna, students assist in upcoming Phoenix National Eating Disorder Awareness Walk -". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- "Pinterest Boards Encourage Eating Disorders". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
Further reading
- Cassell, Dana K., and David H. Gleaves. Foreword. The Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders. 3rd edition. New York: Infobase, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8160-6197-6.
- Costin, Carolyn. The Eating Disorder Sourcebook. 3rd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. ISBN 0-07-147685-7.
- DeBate, Rita, Heather Blunt, and Marion Ann Becker. "Eating Disorders." Ed. Bruce Lubotsky Levin and Marion Ann Becker. A Public Health Perspective of Women's Mental Health. New York: Springer, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4419-1525-2.
- Garner, David M., and Paul E. Garfinkel, eds. Handbook of Treatment for Eating Disorders. 2nd edition. New York: Guilford, 1997. ISBN 978-1-57230-186-3.
- Kramer, Gerri Freid. The Truth About Eating Disorders. 2nd edition. New York: Infobase, 2009. ISBN 0-8160-7633-2.