Photos: Fearing the future of treatment

Lexie Olgren advocates for eating disorder resources in Iowa for herself and her girls.

Grace Smith, Photojournalist

September 20, 2023

In the fall of 2022, Iowa’s only inpatient eating disorder clinic closed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Lexie Olgren, 28, was a patient when she was 26 years old, and said the program is crucial to helping those with eating disorders and is upset about its closing.

Although Olgren still sees a psychiatrist for her struggles, the long-time Iowan said she still grapples with disordered eating often.

“I still struggle with it daily,” Olgren said. “My family watches me struggle with it. My girls watch me struggle with it.”

About the Contributor

Grace Smith, Senior photojournalist and filmmaker

she/her/hers

Grace Smith is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic Arts. In her four years at The Daily Iowan, she has held the roles of photo editor, managing summer editor, and visual storyteller. Outside of The Daily Iowan, Grace has held an internship at The Denver Post and pursued freelance assignments for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register.