Cura is proud to celebrate National Nutrition Month (NNM) at our healthcare facilities and hospitals. Dining teams set aside special days and promote how to eat healthier by featuring BeWell, our program which is designed to bring nutritious food to the table while making the healthy choice the easy choice for all our dining guests! Our BeWell Wellness Experience Framework and recipes offer a behavior-based, nudging approach that helps our guests achieve their personal health and wellness goals!
NNM is in full swing in the café at Indiana Regional Medical Center, Indiana, PA, celebrating this year’s theme ‘A World of Flavors.’ Each week, the dining team features traditional flavorful meals from around the globe! Hospital staff and guests recently enjoyed a menu of island-style foods from the Caribbean including jerk chicken, callaloo, fried plantain, Puerto Rican rice, and beans!
Hospital staff also enjoy the opportunity to learn about nutrition from a month-long display at Allegheny Healthcare’s West Penn Hospital. Education, daily nutritional tips, and giveaways encourage staff and guests to get healthy! Customers are even asked to submit healthy recipes which we will appear on the menu for April! Those chosen for their recipes will receive a gift card.
During NNM, we also recognized National Registered Dietitians and Nutritionist Day! As part of our gratitude, a social media campaign is currently underway featuring their dedication, including the work of our dietetic technicians & clinicians! These professionals routinely meet with medical staff and caregivers to design food choices that help speed the healing process, help those to achieve specific health-related goals, and overall, help us all lead a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle!
Whether they work for Cura or they are members of our clients’ teams, this special group of people shares our responsibility to incorporate nutrition into every medical and wellness care plan!
Meet some of these highly visible and engaged members of our teams, and learn why they choose to help people make informed food choices here:
Meet Lisa Emeka MS, RDN, LDN, Food Service Director, Texas Health Frisco – Frisco, TX
Why did you become a dietitian?
I always wanted a career in healthcare that focuses on helping people in underserved communities that will promote a healthy lifestyle. I enrolled in an Introduction to Nutrition class as an undergraduate student and fell in love with the science related to nutrition and chronic disease.
What do you like best about your job as a dietitian/nutritionist?
Working with people of different backgrounds, building strong teams, and improving the patient experience through food & nutrition programs.
Difference Maker…
At Texas Health Frisco we teach patients and families how to enjoy great meals that are still compliant with dietary restrictions related to diabetes, heart disease, gluten intolerances, renal complications, etc. I receive feedback from patients and families after discharge who are very thankful for the lessons learned.
Meet Don Battaglia, RD, LDN, Clinical Nutrition Manager, Network Lead Dietitian, Allegheny Health Network at Allegheny General, Allegheny Valley, and Wexford Hospitals in Pennsylvania.
Why did you become a dietitian?
I have a passion for positively contributing to the health and wellbeing of those around me. I wanted to springboard my love for nutrition science into a profession that could truly better peoples’ lives.
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy the interactions with patients, staff, and providers. I’m always afforded opportunities to learn.
Difference Maker:
Over the years I have been able to help people achieve personal wellness goals (from weight loss, blood sugar control, fitness goals). I have worked with teams of professionals to help manage acutely ill patients, and I am a patient advocate.
Meet Katie Crawford, MS, RD, Clinical Dietitian, Marion Health, Marion, Indiana
Why did you become a dietitian/nutritionist?
When I learned about dietetics while exploring majors to study in college, I felt that it perfectly combined my interests/ personal experience and my desire to help others.
What do you like best about your job?
Helping people to navigate their relationship with food in a way that honors their health while maintaining their quality of life.
Difference Maker…
Our department got a consult for gluten-free diet education. I was happy to take this consult, as I also follow a gluten-free diet. When I spoke to this patient, it turns out since her celiac disease diagnosis, she had spent a year confused and scared to eat as she was not confident in reading labels and identifying gluten-free ingredients. As a result, she was losing weight and strength and expressed she felt ill all the time. We talked through the basics of a gluten-free diet and label reading. She was relieved to talk with someone who understood what she was going through, and how she could modify her favorite recipes to be safe for her!
