For more than a decade, Haven of Hope Eating Disorder Care Center has worked with individuals and families navigating the devastating realities of eating disorders—often stepping in when care is difficult to find, fragmented, or far from home. Today, Haven of Hope is sharing its commitment to extend that work to adolescents and families across Tennessee and the Southeastern United States.

Haven of Hope announced plans to open an adolescent residential eating disorder treatment program in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area in 2026, a step that would establish the first adolescent residential eating disorder program in the state of Tennessee.

This commitment reflects a growing awareness of the unmet needs facing adolescents and families across Tennessee and the Southeast, where access to specialized residential care remains limited despite rising rates of eating disorders and increasing clinical complexity.

“We hear the same story over and over,” said Shawna Lei Richey, National Director of Business Development & Marketing at Haven of Hope Eating Disorder Care Center. “Parents are desperate to help their child, providers are running out of options, and families are being told they have to leave the state—or the region—to find appropriate care. That reality is not sustainable, and it’s not acceptable.”

A Responsibility to Respond

Eating disorders carry the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition, and adolescence is often the window when early, intensive intervention can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Yet Tennessee currently has no in-state adolescent residential eating disorder treatment programs, leaving families to navigate long waitlists, interstate travel, or delayed care.

Haven of Hope’s Chattanooga-area program is designed to serve adolescents from across Tennessee and the greater Southeastern region—including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina—while remaining accessible to families nationwide who are seeking specialized, developmentally appropriate residential treatment.

“This is not about being first,” Lei said. “It’s about showing up. The need is undeniable, and the consequences of not acting are too high.”

A Trauma-Informed, Family-Centered Vision

The adolescent program will build on Haven of Hope’s established clinical foundation, emphasizing a client-first, trauma-informed, and family-centered approach to care. Treatment will be designed to support not only medical and behavioral stabilization, but also the relational and emotional healing essential for long-term recovery—particularly for adolescents and their families.

“Our work has taught us that adolescents don’t heal in isolation,” Lei said. “Families matter. Safety matters. Being deeply attuned to trauma and attachment matters. This program is being built with those truths at the center.”

Rooted in Tennessee, Guided by Purpose

By expanding within Tennessee, Haven of Hope aims to reduce barriers to care, strengthen collaboration with regional providers, and help families access specialized treatment closer to home—while maintaining the flexibility to support adolescents from outside the region when needed.

“This is about building something that lasts,” Lei said. “We are thinking intentionally and responsibly about what adolescents and families truly need—not just now, but for years to come.”

Additional details regarding programming, partnerships, and timelines will be shared as development progresses.

About Haven of Hope Eating Disorder Care Center

Haven of Hope Eating Disorder Care Center is a residential treatment program for women and female-identifying adults specializing in eating disorders and co-occurring trauma and attachment-related disorders. Located in the Memphis, Tennessee area, Haven of Hope is known for its relational, trauma-informed approach and commitment to clinical excellence.

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