Equip is a virtual eating disorder treatment program that is licensed to provide home care in all 50 states and DC. It is for-profit and owned by UnitedHealth Group and Optum.

Opened in 2019 as a start-up, Equip initially only treated children, adolescents, and young adults aged 6-24. Equip uses Family-Based Treatment (FBT) to treat children and adolescents. Each patient has a peer mentor, family mentor, physician, therapist and dietitian.

In 2023 Equip expanded its virtual treatment services to include adults. Shortly afterward, Optum UnitedHealth closed the in-person eating disorder treatment centers it also owned in favor of Equip’s virtual treatment model. (In 2022 Optum bought Refresh Mental Health from a private equity firm called Kelso & Co. Refresh operated a network of more than 300 mental health, substance abuse and eating disorder centers. The centers Optum closed after Equip’s expansion included Fairhaven Treatment Center in Tennessee, Cielo House in California and Turning Tides Eating Disorder Treatment Center in Florida.) Equip’s adult treatment program currently offers both outpatient and IOP levels of care. They are working on also adding meal support.

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