Renfrew Center has helped women for 25 years

The Renfrew Center of Florida in Coconut Creek is celebrating 25 years of helping women overcome eating disorders.

Built on a 10-acre horse farm on Northwest 48th Avenue, the 40-bed facility treats about 300 women a year and employs about 120 people.

“They saved my life,” said Barbara Windham, a Hobe Sound resident and a center alumna.

Windham, 75, left residential treatment about five years ago, after a series of medical issues forced her to confront her 50-year struggle with an eating disorder.

In the four months she spent at the center, Windham participated in individual counseling, group sessions, music therapy, art therapy and nutrition training. She said treatment helped her regain her sense of self.

“It’s never too late to recover,” Windham said.

As director of admissions, Jessica Adams helps prepare for and welcome up to four new arrivals per day.

Because the center serves women of all backgrounds, care is taken to determine each woman’s religious and cultural needs.

“Eating disorders do not discriminate by age, race or creed,” Adams said.

Gayle Brooks, the center’s vice president and chief clinical officer, said recovery depends on women learning how to manage the relationship between their emotions and eating.

“When you engage in an eating-disorder behavior, it helps you to not feel something,” Brooks said. “So if you’re depressed, not eating can make you numb so you don’t feel the depression quite so much. Or you might turn to food and eat a lot to help yourself feel better emotionally.”

The Coconut Creek City Commission recently approved a proclamation declaring Renfrew Center Foundation of Florida Appreciation Day.

With 16 sites in 13 states, the center has treated more than 65,000 women since 1985, said Sam Menaged, founder and president.

“We are constantly adding new therapies, new concepts, evidence-based treatments,” Menaged said. “We’ve created a community of women working together to get better, and there is a tremendous power in community.”

For more information, visit Renfrewcenter.com.

Andres David Lopez can be reached at .