Eating Disorder Treatment Center Opens in Agoura Hills

A new treatment center for teenage girls with eating disorders has opened in Agoura Hills. Malibu-based Monte Nido & Affiliates, which operates more than a dozen clinics for patients with eating disorders across five states, on Wednesday announced it had opened its first Clementine residential treatment program in California at the site of its existing treatment facility in Agoura Hills. Called Clementine Malibu Lake, the site offers nutritional, medical and psychiatric programs designed exclusively for girls between the ages of 12 and 17. “Eating disorders are devastating from both a psychological and medical perspective,” Clementine Malibu Lake Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joel Jahraus said in a statement. “Serious growth and development issues may occur with eating disorders, and research demonstrates the need to treat the eating disorder as early … as possible.” In addition to medical care, inpatients at Clementine engage in art therapy, group activities and programs for boosting interpersonal and life skills. Monte Nido has other Clementine centers in Miami; Portland, Ore.; and Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.