SUMMIT FINDINGS

In conjunction with Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2026, Silver Linings Foundation partnered with the University of Calgary and The Hunter Family Foundation to host the first Alberta Eating Disorder Summit.

The event was designed with a clear goal: Bring together eating disorder professionals, researchers, policymakers, and lived-experience voices in Alberta to share knowledge, identify gaps, and build a collaborative community with the aim of increasing access and improving overall care.

What follows is a summary of the collaborative work that took place during this gathering, along with the key findings that emerged from the collective insight and generative thinking of a deeply informed and committed community.

The Process

Using the metaphor of a river to represent the journey of eating disorder recovery, we began by mapping Alberta’s current ecosystem of care, to better understand the full landscape of supports available across the province. We then examined how individuals and families move through this system and where they encounter obstacles.

To deepen this exploration, we stress-tested the system using real-life scenarios shaped by rural access, financial inequities, age, gender, cultural identity, and caregiver experience. This allowed us to see where the “current” of care weakens, stalls, or breaks down and where stronger connections are needed.

Through this process, four critical barriers to care emerged, along with four strategic bridges to support long-term healing and systemic improvement.

4 Barriers to Eating Disorder Care in Alberta

1. Socio-Economic & Geographic Disparities

Proper care exists but not equally.

Private care is accessible to those with financial means; others face long public waitlists.
Specialized teams are concentrated in major urban centres.
Rural communities lack equitable access.
Post-secondary students (a high-risk population) experience major insurance and coverage gaps.
Care teams (GP, therapist, dietitian) are not equitably distributed or sustainably funded.

Impact: Where you live and what you earn should not determine your recovery outcome, yet they currently do.

2. Medical-Only Models Overlook the Lived Reality of Recovery

There is a gap between symptom stabilization and true healing.

Overemphasis on weight restoration without long-term psychological and social rebuilding.
A “not sick enough” paradigm, where individuals must deteriorate to qualify for support.
Physical stabilization in hospital settings without adequate mental health integration.
Complex psychological conditions treated as purely biological problems.

Impact: Recovery requires more than medical stabilization. Long term recovery must include relational, psychological, and social support.

3. Abrupt Transitions Between Levels of Care

The system lacks continuity.

Few step-down programs between inpatient care and returning to daily life.
Limited access to specialized medical oversight during recovery.
Insufficient funding for community-based “recovering in community” supports.
Siloed services that do not communicate effectively.
Impact: Individuals may feel supported in crisis but often feel alone in recovery.

4. Professional Hierarchy Over Lived Experience

Systems unintentionally disempower those they aim to help.

Harmful or dismissive messaging from undertrained professionals (“just eat”).
Lack of mandatory ED-specific screening and training for frontline providers.
Hierarchical systems that position professionals as sole authorities.
Limited collaboration with patients and caregivers in care planning.

Impact: When lived experience is minimized, trust and outcomes suffer.

4 Bridges to
Long-Term Healing

Bridge 1: System Design & Centralized Entry

Eliminating fragmentation through unified infrastructure.

A province-wide “one-door” navigation and triage system.
A dynamic, public-facing resource map with transparent eligibility criteria.
A unified digital ecosystem where providers can securely collaborate and share information.
Clear identification of all stakeholders involved in a person’s care.

Goal: No more bouncing between services.

Bridge 2: Professional Equipping & Knowledge Integration

Standardizing quality so no matter where you land, you are seen.

Mandatory ED-specific training for GPs, ER staff, and helpline workers.
Specialized rural hubs outside of major urban centers.
Evidence-based prevention programs in schools and communities.
Expanded competency for diagnoses such as ARFID and Binge Eating Disorder.

Goal: Competent, trauma-informed care, province-wide.

Bridge 3: Funding & Long-Term Sustainability

Shifting from reactive to restorative funding.

Moving from short-term crisis funding to sustained recovery investment.
Subsidized or no-cost access to adult residential and community programs.
Education for funders on economic and human cost of repeat acute admissions.
Equitable allocation prioritizing BIPOC communities, post-secondary populations, and inclusive gender and ability supports.

Goal: Equal access for all.

Bridge 4: Community & Natural Supports

Building the safety net beyond clinical walls.

Community-based counseling and in-home meal support programs.
Training for caregivers in emotion coaching and communication strategies.
Hybrid home/community recovery models.
Dedicated post-secondary support within Alberta colleges and universities.
Coordinating provincial and national resources to

Goal: Recovery that works in real life, not just in treatment settings.

Shaping the Future of Recovery

The first Alberta Eating Disorder Summit was foundational. Bringing this network together revealed how interconnected our work truly is. Participants left not only with ideas, but with a clearer understanding of how their individual roles fit into a larger, collaborative system.

Next steps include:

Continued convening and cross-sector conversations
An ED Professionals newsletter to maintain connection
Development of a provincial resource directory
Ongoing collaboration toward a more integrated model of care

Our shared hope is: No matter where someone is along the river of eating disorder recovery, the system supports them and no one navigates it alone.

We are deeply grateful to the medical professionals, therapists, dietitians, researchers, and organizational leaders who joined us from across the province. We were also honoured to have representatives in attendance from organizations including the Calgary Eating Disorder Program, Eating Disorders Support Network of Alberta, Edgewood Health Network, National Eating Disorder Information Centre, and Recovery Alberta. Their presence and expertise were essential to the depth and impact of the day.

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We are building a strong network of clinicians, organizations, and researchers dedicated to improving eating disorder care. We are committed to keeping this valuable community connected. The more we collaborate, the better outcomes we can create for people struggling with eating disorders.

Building the Future of Eating Disorder Care

The first Alberta Eating Disorders Summit marks a landmark moment, co-hosted by Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos at the University of Calgary, Silver Linings Foundation, and Dani Hunter, as we come together to shape the future of eating disorder care in Alberta.