Mental Health Minister Emma Davidson announces construction on Coombs residential eating disorder clinic

The 12-bed, Coombs-based centre will aim to support patients long-term, and stop forcing Canberrans to pay exorbitant costs for private, interstate services.

The centre will provide a home-like environment for eating disorder sufferers of all ages and genders to recover, Mental Health Minister Emma Davidson said.

Construction is expected to finish in 2024.

There are no inpatient facilities for eating disorder patients, other than in-hospital treatment, in the ACT.

The Coombs facility is inspired by Wandi Nerida, a private Queensland residential treatment site.

The out-of-pocket cost of the Sunshine Coast program is around $50,000 for people with private health insurance, according to the Butterfly Foundation. This does not include the cost of outings.

There are also extensive waiting times.

The new ACT centre will be publicly funded, and the Commonwealth will provide $13.5 million over three years.

NSW residents will be able to access the service, which may increase demand and wait times.

Ms Davidson said she expected high demand for beds as there are so few services available in Australia.

"We know that our service will likely open before other services around Australia [and] that will create some pressures," she said.

The new clinic only has 12 beds to ensure it feels like a family-like, supportive environment, Ms Davidson said.

"Having the right number of beds is part of that model of wanting it to be a home-like environment, so that people really get to know each other as a group and support each other on this journey," Ms Davidson said.

Anorexia nervosa has a very high mortality rate.

One in five sufferers die from the disease and another one in five attempt to take their own lives, according to the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

This program will be for patients who are medically stable.

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It aims to target sufferers who are earlier on in their disease, to stop them from getting to a point of hospitalisation.

It will treat sufferers of any eating disorder, including binge eating disorder or unspecified eating disorders.

It is important eating disorder sufferers get help "before it is too late," director of Eating Disorders Families Australia David Quilty said.

"Eating disorders, they are very serious conditions. People do die from anorexia," he said.

"It is very important to get treatment [and] a lot of families [in Canberra] have had to go interstate to get treatment."

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