Skip to content
EDrehabCall

Pennsylvania

Eating disorder treatment in Pennsylvania

An estimated 1.1 million Pennsylvanians will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime, and the state has one of the country's most extensive systems for eating disorder treatment, anchored by The Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, an early U.S. residential eating disorder program. Care ranges from inpatient medical and psychiatric stabilization through residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and virtual programs.(source)

Statewide
Licensed eating disorder treatment centers
All levels
Inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, outpatient, and virtual care
24/7
Free, confidential admissions line
Talk to a licensed programBrowse all Pennsylvania centers
HersheyLake ArielSaylorsburgEriePittsburgh areaPhiladelphia area
Tap a leaf to see treatment centers in that area

Licensed treatment programs
Talk to a licensed program accepting patients today

Browse by city

Philadelphia5Pittsburgh2Villanova1Radnor1Warrendale1Hershey1Exton1Paoli1Lake Ariel1Saylorsburg1Erie1

Browse by level of care

Medical stabilizationMedical management of malnutrition, refeeding, comorbidities.Inpatient hospitalizationAcute hospital care for medical instability and psychiatric crisis.Residential treatmentLive-in care with 24/7 clinical and nursing support, in a non-hospital setting.Partial hospitalization (PHP)Day treatment, structured clinical hours.Intensive outpatient (IOP)Several days per week, returning to work or family.OutpatientWeekly therapy and medical visits.Virtual / telehealth treatmentRemote care, from outpatient therapy to full virtual IOP and PHP.
All licensed Pennsylvania centers

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Erie

Exton

Hershey

Lake Ariel

Paoli

Radnor

Saylorsburg

Villanova

Warrendale

About eating disorder treatment in Pennsylvania

Specialty programs concentrate along two corridors, the Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania metro and the Pittsburgh metro. In Philadelphia, The Renfrew Center on Spring Lane provides residential, day-treatment, and outpatient care, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) runs a pediatric program with inpatient medical stabilization. UPMC in Pittsburgh offers the full adult continuum, including the only eating-disorder inpatient psychiatric unit in western Pennsylvania, while Penn State Health in Hershey and Seeds of Hope (Lake Ariel, Exton, and Paoli) add further options. Central, northern, and rural areas have little in-person higher-level care, and in-state residential beds are limited to women and girls.

Paying for treatment in Pennsylvania

Most commercial health plans in Pennsylvania cover eating disorder treatment as a mental health benefit, subject to your plan's usual deductible and copays, with prior authorization for higher levels of care. In-network coverage depends on whether your specific plan contracts with the program you are considering.(source)

Pennsylvania Medical Assistance covers eating disorder treatment as a mental health benefit, with prior authorization and medical-necessity review for higher levels of care. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia accepts it for its pediatric program (inpatient stabilization through outpatient), and UPMC in Pittsburgh accepts it across its adult continuum, including inpatient psychiatric stabilization. Other programs are typically commercial or private-pay; a program can confirm whether they accept Medical Assistance when you contact them. Children may also qualify through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).(source)

To start a benefits verification, call to be connected with a licensed eating disorder program.

See also: our insurance guides, how to verify your benefits, and how virtual eating disorder treatment works.

Common questions about eating disorder treatment in Pennsylvania

Where can I get residential eating disorder treatment in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has several in-state residential programs, which is unusual for the region. The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia at Spring Lane (Roxborough) serves women, girls, and gender-expansive adolescents and adults. Seeds of Hope at Mountainside in Lake Ariel treats adult women with co-occurring substance use care. Blue Ridge Eating Disorder Care Center in Saylorsburg serves adolescent girls ages 12 to 17. UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh provides adult inpatient and medical stabilization.

Does Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (Medicaid) cover eating disorder treatment?

Yes, as part of the behavioral health benefit. Your specific plan decides which residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs it will pay for, and that varies by county across the state. Which programs are in-network depends on your specific plan and varies by county; a program can check whether they accept your plan when you reach out.

How do I find eating disorder treatment in central or western Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh?

Outside the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metros, in-person specialty access is limited to a few points. Penn State Health in Hershey runs the main pediatric and young-adult academic program in central Pennsylvania (ages 10 to 24). White Pine Center for Healing in Erie serves northwestern Pennsylvania. Much of the central, northern, and rural counties have no nearby in-person specialty program, so families rely on virtual outpatient and intensive outpatient care, traveling to Hershey, Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia for higher levels of care.

Talk to admissions at a treatment center

Free and confidential. Direct connection, 24/7.

Call (602) 834-4077

In crisis right now? Pennsylvania crisis resources →

Eating disorders we cover

Anorexia nervosaBulimia nervosaBinge eating disorderARFIDOrthorexiaOSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder)

Compiled by the EDrehab editorial team. Last reviewed: see each cited source for the underlying publication date.

Treatment in nearby states

DelawareMarylandNew JerseyNew YorkOhioWest Virginia