What Are the Barriers to Eating Disorder Care in Alberta and What Are We Doing to Remove Them?
February 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.
The following is a high level of summary of the findings but we encourage you to explore the full findings that emerged from the collective work of the day.
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.
2. Medical-Only Models Overlook the Lived Reality of Recovery - There is a gap between symptom stabilization and true healing.
3. Abrupt Transitions Between Levels of Care - The system lacks continuity.
4. Professional Hierarchy Over Lived Experience - Systems unintentionally disempower those they aim to help.
The 4 Bridges to Long-Term Healing
Bridge 1: System Design & Centralized Entry Eliminating fragmentation through unified infrastructure.
Bridge 2: Professional Equipping & Knowledge IntegrationStandardizing quality so no matter where you land, you are seen.
Bridge 3: Funding & Long-Term Sustainability Shifting from reactive to restorative funding.
Bridge 4: Community & Natural SupportsBuilding the safety net beyond clinical walls.
Explore the full findings here.
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 convenings 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.
With appreciation,
Silver Linings Foundation
University of Calgary
Hunter Family Foundation
