Bridge to Wellness: The alphabet soup of nutrition services

by Sarah Wilczynski

Research shows that nutrition can greatly impact our physical and mental health, so it’s important to make healthy food choices. These include choices that provide us with energy and proper nutrients, choices that leave us feeling full and satisfied. This can be hard, and it’s easy to get lost in the alphabet soup of professionals and programs available to assist with nutrition services.

Here we’ll take a brief look at some of the people and programs related to nutrition services. To do this, we will organize concepts into two categories: nutrition support services and nutrition access services. Refer to the Outreach in Action column this month for additional information about some of the programs mentioned here.

Nutrition support services: These include the professionals and programs available to help you learn more about nutrition and support you in your journey to make more nutritious choices. When pursuing knowledge about nutrition, you are likely to encounter registered dietitians (RDs), registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), and certified nutrition specialists (CNSs). All these individuals can assist in nutrition education and planning when it comes to meeting your individual health and wellness goals. Many of these professionals may have additional credentials such as being a registered nurse (RN) or a master of public health (MPH).

Some programs offered by nutrition support professionals include medical nutrition therapy, a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), nutrition counseling, and weight management programs. Brief definitions of these programs can be found in the infographic accompanying this article.

Chelsea Hospital does offer a few of these nutrition programs. For more information, please call 734-593-5280.

Nutrition access services: These refer to the people and programs available to assist with increasing access to nutritious foods. Many of the programs in this category are funded by the federal government but operated by the state. As you navigate application processes, you may encounter a Community Health Worker (CHW). These are people in your local community who can help you navigate resources in your area, including nutrition access services.

A few programs that focus on nutrition access include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFNMP). Programs also exist to aid schools in providing free or reduced cost nutritious meals for students. Please see the infographic to learn more about these programs.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with nutrition access, please contact the Trinity Health Community Health Workers at CHW4U@trinity-health.org. If urgent assistance is needed, please call 211 or visit 211.org.

This column is sponsored by the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition. Sarah Wilczynski is the Mental Health Awareness & Training Coordinator for Chelsea Hospital.