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Food For Thought | |
Florida Company Recalls Grape Tomatoes
Six L's, a Florida company, is recalling a single lot of grape tomatoes for possible Salmonella contamination. They were packed on April 11 and can be identified by the Cherry Berry lot code DW-H in either clam shells or 20 lb. cardboard containers. Some of the tomatoes were distributed to California and reached consumers through retail stores and restaurant distribution. The tomatoes may be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Six L's at 877-606-1821, ext. 3955, 24 hours a day.
Employee Handbooks:
New handbooks are in the mail to you. Make sure you print out the signature form you received in your email and fax back to the office with a current copy of your car insurance.
RD Licensure Action Alert:
AB575 has been dropped and will not be presented at this time. Thanks to all the RDs that helped with support letters and contacted their representatives in support of this bill. We will continue the efforts next year.
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| Food Funnies | |
Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.
Got a food Funny? email it to Judy |
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Contact the Editor | |
Please send your RD News comments, suggestions & questions to Judy Morgan, MBA, RD
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HMC Staff Site | | RD News Archive
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Greetings!
Nutricopia's Jennifer Hirsch, RD, CSG (Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition) attended the Public Policy Workshop this year in Washington DC and shares what she learned here in RD News. |
| ADA's Public Policy Workshop | |
Promoting our Profession
by Jennifer Hirsch
This February I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 2011 Public Policy Workshop (PPW) in Washington, D.C. I was among 400 other RD's representing my state, district, as well as Nutricopia. With the recent health care reform and budget challenges it is quite an exciting time to be at our nation's capitol to promote our profession! I was able to network with RD's from all over the country, and closely work with many California RD's such as CDA President Lorri Holzberg, our state Public Policy Coordinator, as well as multiple State District Public Policy Representatives.
Why Politics? Why Now?
We are considered the nutrition experts in our field with our skills in using an evidence based practice. Most legislators are not familiar with what we do, and thus we are often left out of important policies and bills, for example MNT and the Older Americans Act Program. Now is the best time to promote our profession. We need to get ourselves included in the vast amount of programs out there when working in the fields of disease prevention, nutrition promotion, and education.
What Did PPW do for us?
- Removed the fear of "Climbing the Hill" and speaking with our State Representatives, including Senators and Members of the House
- Provided key messages that ADA was promoting to our Legislators
- Advocacy 101; in the words of guest speaker U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D.-Ill.), advocacy is "Getting people to do what you want them to do, and them wanting to do it"
- Federal/State Update Workshops:
- Federal: Medical Foods Act, Older Americans Act, Healthier Lifestyles and Prevention America Act-the HeLP Act
- State: Review of Licensure (How other states did it!), Health Care Reform
- Provided review of these acts in detail, information packets to be left with our representatives, and on-going communication with our State Representatives.
Click the links below to view some of Jennifer's pictures at PPW in Washington DC with colleagues.
PWW photo 1
PWW photo 2
PWW photo3
PWW photo 4 |
| RD Tip | How can you can be a part of Public Policy?
It is easier than you think. Just become a member of ADA, and your State Dietetic Association (CDA) or your local District Association. ADA makes contacting your representatives easy with "Action Alerts" using their "Grassroots Manager" to find your exact representative and provides sample letters to email or mail. Local Districts have Public Policy Representatives that have the latest areas of nutrition policy that need our support. Contact your local District to find out more.
Support ADAPAC (American Dietetic Association's Political Action Committee) which is the only political action committee broadly focused on food, nutrition and health. They have been a key part of representing our profession including bill language, funding for nutrition, and promoting candidates. Go to www.eatright.org/ADAPAC to learn more.
CDA has now launched their members-only website www.mycda.org to provide the state's latest public policy information. They have specific news for our state, including CDA's commitment for licensure for California Dietitians.
As ADAPAC quotes "If dietetics is your profession then politics is your business". Please feel free to contact me with any questions or clarifications. I am here for you to represent this area of our profession. Even if you feel you don't have the time to join, you can support ADA/CDA/ADAPAC with donations. You can also submit action alerts to your representatives. Remember, we can make a difference, raise awareness about our profession, create even more job opportunities, and help our residents' quality of life by working together on nutrition policy. |
| Dear Dietitian | |
Scholarship Opportunity
If you are a member of the ADA practice group Dietetics in Health Care Communities, you are eligible to apply for this scholarship to attend either the ADA Public Policy Workshop (early 2012), or the ADA Leadership Institute (June 2012). The focus will be to provide a new educational experience and promote leadership within the organization.
Award: Up to $1500.00* will be awarded to provide transportation, lodging, and per diem, to either the 2012 Public Policy Workshop or the ADA 2012 Leadership Institute.
Application information can be found here.
Judy Morgan, MBA, RD
Editor |
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