Welcome to Summit

Summit Awarded Accreditation from the Joint Commission

Summit has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in behavioral health care. The accreditation award recognizes Summit’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

Summit underwent a rigorous on-site survey in October 2011. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated Summit for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of individuals served and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

"With Joint Commission accreditation, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence," says Tony Paulson, Phd, CEO, CCO. "Achieving Joint Commission accreditation, for our organization, is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide."

The Joint Commission’s behavioral health care standards address important functions relating to the care of individuals served and the management of behavioral health care organizations. The standards are developed in consultation with behavioral health care experts, providers, measurement experts, individuals served and their families.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 1,700 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

Inspiration

A former patient writes an inspirational poem. To read the poem, please click here.

Jamie Olivo named Director of Nutritional Services

Summit is pleased to announce that Jamie Olivo has accepted the position of Director of Nutritional Services. Jamie has been with Summit for 1 ½ years and has worked hard to develop our nutrition services. Please read her full bio on the staff page.

Q & A with Jamie Olivo

1) How did you become interested in the field of nutrition?
I always wanted to be in a helping profession. Originally I had a desire to work in the nursing field but after taking my first nutrition class I knew I wanted to become a Dietitian. I have always been interested in food and wanted to learn more about how our eating affects our overall well-being.

2) What made you decide to specialize in Eating Disorders?
While working toward my degree in nutrition I started to question if this was really how I could help people. I was involved in nutrition education and individual nutrition counseling but nothing was really clicking for me. Then after attending a workshop on eating disorders it all came together. I had experience with how harmful eating disorders could be because they had affected people I was close to. I started working for an eating disorder clinic during college and never looked back.

3) How is it working with patients with eating disorders?
It is very rewarding and at times very difficult. I deal with one of the most volatile topics for patients, which is their food. There are many fears and false beliefs around food and it is my job to break those down and to help my patients create a new relationship and way of viewing foods. It is also extremely rewarding because you really do see people change the way they think about food and themselves.

4) What is your favorite part of working with this population?
I would have to say that it is the process of building trust with the patient and then teaching patients how to build trust with food. Food has become a hot topic in our culture and it doesn’t take much searching to find negative comments about food. It is my job to give my patients a chance to learn a different way to look at food and develop critical thinking skills to combat the false information they come across about food outside of treatment. I love working with the Intuitive Eating Principles to help my patients re-learn what normal eating is and to start to change their relationship with food.

5) What is the best part of working at Summit?
I absolutely love the people that I work with. Having the Doctor, Psychiatrist, Nurses, Therapists, and Group Facilitators right there to consult with when I have questions or concerns is great. I feel that Summit is a supportive facility that our patients can feel comfortable in. We know how to have fun and we also know how to help patients through the really difficult days. There is no substitute for the compassionate and caring environment and it is the people that work at Summit that provide that!

What makes Summit unique…

• More than a decade of experience in Sacramento exclusively treating patients with eating disorders
• Full time medical team daily monitoring and managing the physical and psychiatric needs of patients
• Full time nutrition team
• Flexible scheduling depending on patient need
• Meals prepared on site by our chef
• Cooking experiential groups in our full kitchen
• Activity groups and yoga classes
• Chemical dependency track for those struggling with drug and alcohol issues
• Aftercare services
• Daily study hall for students wishing to keep up on their studies and an onsite credentialed teacher available for tutoring
• Family education and support groups
• Family Based Treatment from staff specifically trained in this treatment method (www.maudsleyparents.org)
• We are located in a beautiful setting adjacent to the American River in Sacramento. We have an additional office in Roseville
• Our overall client satisfaction is 4.58 out of 5 and our outcome results show the effectiveness of our programs
• We offer free housing in a gated luxurious apartment community located directly across the street from our treatment facility for patients who live outside of Sacramento.

Job Announcement

Summit is currently recruiting for a Registered Dietitian and Psychotherapist. View the positions we have open currently.

Summit Admissions Offers LiveChat!

Summit offers LiveChat for individuals interesting in learning more about treatment for an eating disorder. The LiveChat session will be available from 2:00 pm–3:00 p.m. PST. To request a LiveChat appointment, please click on the icon on this home page. Summit will begin offering LiveChat sessions several times per week—so check back for more information or send us a message!

Follow Us On Twitter!

Get inspirational quotes and updated information about eating disorders by following us on Twitter! Visit @drtonypaulson to learn more and send us a tweet.

Celebrating 10 Years of Treating Eating Disorders in Northern California

Summit is the only medically-supervised, comprehensive treatment program in Sacramento, California, serving both adolescents and adults with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. We offer a variety of levels of care, depending on your needs. Our team of experts provides compassionate, comprehensive care. We truly believe that full recovery can happen for everyone, and we make it our job to see this happen.

Our patients come from throughout the United States, and for both adults and families residing outside the greater Sacramento area, we offer free housing in a luxurious, gated apartment community. (Coming soon: video of our apartment housing.)