Alberta’s first eating disorder recovery centre opens in Calgary, free of charge to patients​on February 8, 2025 at 9:04 pm

When Cendrine Tremblay’s teenage daughter went into treatment for an eating disorder, it soon became clear to the family that frequent visits to a therapist and dietitian were not enough.

Her daughter would be frequently hospitalized, then discharged, and weeks later, hospitalized again.

“After six or seven times, we were like, ‘OK, this is not working,’ ” Tremblay said. “We need to figure out something else. She needs more intensive care.”

At the time, Calgary did not offer any resources for live-in treatment. To access that kind of care, a patient would have to travel to the United States and stay in a centre for $1,000 a day for an average duration of three months.

More than a decade later, Tremblay’s non-profit organization, the Calgary Silver Linings Foundation, in partnership with the provincial government and the Edgewood Health Network (EHN), has launched the EHN Sandstone Recovery Centre. The foundation is dedicated to improving access to care for individuals with eating disorders in Alberta,

This centre in northeast Calgary is the first of its kind in Alberta, according to a news release.

The province is investing almost $10 million over three years (2023-26) in partnership with Recovery Alberta to establish the Calgary facility. The Silver Linings Foundation raised an additional $4 million, Tremblay notes.

The centre offers “homey” around-the-clock care for patients diagnosed with eating disorders, according to EHN Canada chief operating officer Christina Basedow.

“We create individualized care plans that guide patients through each step of the recovery process. Patients are engaged in a structured routine that includes meal support therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy,” she added.

The centre soft-launched in March 2024 and has since treated 18 patients. Patients stay between one to four months, Basedow said.

Photos of the space show a cozy setting, with wood-panelled flooring and warm lighting.

“It’s a very non-hospital setting, more like a home setting,” Tremblay said. “No one is in scrubs, there are no green walls.”

Unlike centres in the U.S., patients and families do not have to pay for treatment at the centre, as it’s funded by the government, according to Tremblay, “which is fantastic as it makes it accessible to all Albertans.”

The facility caters to Albertans aged 12 to 24.

“Teenagers are the probably the ones who need early intervention or are the least willing because they’re so young and don’t have (the maturity) to recognize that this is really an illness that they need to attend to,” Tremblay said.