8 NOVEMBER 2024IN MY OPINIONHealth and nutrition care focused solely on lifestyle intervention and educational content is ineffective without considering social determinants of health (SDOH). The success of meaningful, tailored health education is amplified by the impact of providing direct food resources when needed. Supported by Eskenazi Health's mission to advocate, care for, teach, and serve the Eskenazi Health registered dietitian team in primary care, it has created and redefined this over the past decade.Amy Carter and her team at Eskenazi Health worked to create a menu of programs that, ten years later, included an accredited diabetes program, a novel CDC-recognized hypertension education group, nutrition incentive programs, and a pediatric cooking-focused program. The demand for service and expansion of programs was driven by quality metrics, patient requests, and often grant-funded partnerships with state and national organizations. Collaborating with the primary care provider team, providing flexibility in scheduling not limited by a traditional appointment model, and expanding impactful group education programs sensitive to SDOH factors such as food access, transportation, Using Nutrition Education Programs to Bridge the Social Determinant of Health GapBy Amy Carter, Director, Clinical Nutrition and Lifestyle Health, Eskenazi HealthAmy Carter
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