Philadelphia Dietetic Association
Fall Newsletter
President's Fall Greetings
Greetings PDA Members!
As the fall season brings with it cooler weather, falling leaves, and the presence of winter not far behind, PDA is warming up to bring you a variety of membership programming and events. I hope you will join us at these events throughout the year and I, personally, look very forward to interacting with you!
On July 23rd we held our first membership event at Bahama Breeze Restaurant in King of Prussia. The evening made for great camaraderie and networking and several dietitians and students became new members of PDA. Our membership events are a great opportunity to network with dietitians, dietetics students, and to become better acquainted with the local dietetics community. Please check our website throughout the year for more information regarding our membership events.
Our Public Policy team has also been working diligently on planning our first CEU event of the year. Beginning in January 2015, all dietitians and other mandated reporters in Pennsylvania are required to have documented hours of child abuse education approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. As such, PDA has partnered with the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association to host a program on the required child abuse training. The program will also include a brief presentation by our PPC-Elect, Shawna Bayerman, regarding her outreach work in battling malnutrition in Honduras. Please check our website to register for this program.
Finally, it is our mission to empower our members to be the region’s food and nutrition leaders. I warmly welcome you to contact me with your ideas, inquiries, comments, and concerns because at PDA we want to serve YOU.
I look very forward to seeing you at one of our events this year!
Dara Blomain
PDA President, 2015-2016
Fall Delegate Report
This summer has been a busy time for the House of Delegates as we all get ready to discuss the following Mega Issue when the House of Delegates meets on October 2 & 3 before FNCE in Nashville, TN:
“How do we empower RDNs to be experts and leaders in the management of malnutrition (identification, diagnosis and intervention)?”
Do you have any comments to add before we meet? Here is the link to the Pennsylvania delegate survey about this issue: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSD37L6.
Stay tuned to the results of this timely discussion in a future newsletter.
Additional topics for you to note:
The Commission on Dietetic Registration has announced that there will be a new interdisciplinary certification in obesity and weight management. Current plans are to implement a practice analysis and the new certification will be available in late fall 2016. Details forthcoming.
The Academy has accepted an invitation to join the USDA’s new Sodium Awareness Initiative.
There are a few proposed amendments to the Academy bylaws: (please access https://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/news-center/member-updates/events-and-deadlines/proposed-academy-bylaws-amendments (for an explanation and also a quick
- These changes have been requested from CDR.
- Delegates will vote on request #1 in fall 2015.
- Request #1 – mission change to: The Commission on Dietetic Registration administers rigorous valid and reliable credentialing processes to protect the public and meet the need of CDR credentialed practitioners, employers and consumers.
- Request #2 – change in the number of CDR members: Include an additional CDR member to represent the new advanced practice in clinical nutrition certification.
- Request #3 involves the composition of the Academy nominating committee.
Sponsorship Advisory Task Force Taking on the Challenge
- The Academy Sponsorship Advisory Taskforce (SATF) met in Washington DC on June 18-19th to review the charge and the important feedback provided by the Academy’s Spring House of Delegates (HOD) meeting. This feedback became the cornerstone to develop guidelines for Sponsorship that align with the Academy’s vision to optimize health through food and nutrition.
- The charge of the SAFT was identified by the Academy’s House of Delegates at the Spring Meeting. This charge includes-
- Identifying the effect of sponsorship, or lack thereof, on Academy and Foundation programming
- Developing a comprehensive, strategic communications plan on sponsorship utilizing diverse strategies for outreach and input with members.
- Soliciting input from the HOD as the voice of the membership in evaluating potential sponsors.
- Offering members transparency with details of sponsors agreement
- Developing Sponsorship Guidelines
- Establishing a Sponsorship Committee as a permanent committee of the Academy.
ACEND also is beginning monthly communication updates on the work on the future education model to share information about the process and to respond to questions being raised. A copy of the August update is posted on the ACEND Standards webpage www.eatrightacend.org/ACEND/Standards
The Academy has developed a hands-on-training to train RDNs in NFPE (Nutrition Focused Physical Exam). (I will share more details as they become available. – Susan Adams)
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Diversity Mini-Grants provides $100 - $1,000 grants to support affiliate outreach to students and professionals from underrepresented groups within the dietetics profession. Links to submit online applications will be sent directly to Diversity Liaisons. Please connect with your affiliate to inquire about becoming their Diversity Liaison. The deadline to submit an online mini-grant application is December 31, 2015. Diversity Liaisons who apply will be notified to the status of their application in January/February 2016.
This development fulfills a priority of the Academy Board to “work with CMS to assure consistent application and uniformity in interpretation of the regulation concerning nutrition supplements and therapeutic diet orders” by enabling RDNs to independently order therapeutic diets in multiple care settings. These regulations will be reviewed and further instructions will be available to the states in the future. (More details about this ruling will be available in the future – stay tuned on the implementation details forthcoming – Susan Adams)
Please remember that I am your delegate to the House of Delegates (I serve Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley) and as such I am here to represent you to our national Academy. If I can help you in any way, please contact me at seadams@rcn.com
Thank-you very much!
Sincerely,
Susan Adams
Campbell Soup Company Career Path Panel
Thursday, Oct 15, 2015, 05:00 PM
1 Campbell Place, Camden, NJ, United States
Child Abuse: What You Need to Know
Friday, Oct 23, 2015, 01:00 PM
4641 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Networking Event a Success
The Philadelphia Dietetic Association hosted a networking event at Bahama Breeze in King of Prussia on Thursday, July 23rd. Everyone had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new fellow RDs. We even recruited five new members!
Sixteen people attended including several retail dietitians from Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Shop Rite; nutrition and dietetics educators; clinical dietitians; and several Cedar Crest interns.
Thank you to all who attended. Stay tuned for the next PDA networking event.
Philadelphia Dietetic Association
Optimize the public's health through food and nutrition.
MISSION
Empower members of the Philadelphia district to be the region's food and nutrition leaders.
Email: info@eatrightphiladelphia.org
Website: www.eatrightphiladelphia.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Philadelphia-Dietetic-Association-154252408010672/timeline/
Twitter: @EatRightPhilly