WESTBROOK, ME -- On March 10th, Governor John Baldacci signed a proclamation designating March 10th as the first annual Registered Dietitian Day. This proclamation was attended by members of the Maine Dietetic Association as well as Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, herself also a registered dietitian. “Registered Dietitian Day is an opportunity to share our passion for—and our commitment to--quality nutritional care with the people of Maine,” says Tina Haluska, president of the Maine Dietetic Association and dietician for the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville.
In Maine, registered dietitians are the only nutrition professionals recognized by the Maine State Licensing Board, which also requires ongoing continuing education and protects the public by ensuring that professional standards are met. “Registered dietitians around the state are ready to provide the public with sound dietary advice and helpful guidance that can help with current and future nutrition and health issues,” explains Haluska.
Consumers can find a registered dietitian either by getting a referral from their physician or checking the American Dietetic Association’s website for the names of consulting dietitians in their area. “In recognition of National Nutrition Month, we’re inviting the public to call an RD here in Maine and make an appointment for a nutrition checkup,” Haluska adds.
Many insurance plans now cover visits with a registered dietitian—some don’t even require a doctor’s referral. In 2002, Medicare began reimbursing for medical nutrition therapy provided by an RD for people with diabetes and kidney disease, and insurers are also increasingly covering consults for obesity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels as well.
The national Registered Dietitian Day, spearheaded by the American Dietetic Association, is a way to help make the public aware of the role of registered dietitians in helping consumers to achieve and maintain health. The March time frame for the RD Day coincides with National Nutrition Month, an annual nutrition education and information campaign.
The Maine Dietetic Association is the state’s branch of the American Dietetic Association, and is comprised of dietitians and dietetic technicians throughout the state of Maine. The MDA, which was founded in 1947, currently has approximately 320 members who work as dietitians and dietetic technicians in clinical, business, management, public health and entrepreneurial capacities.
Tina Haluska, RD provides outpatient medical nutrition therapy services at Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville. To schedule a “nutrition checkup” please call 695-5261. For more information about the American Dietetic Association contact www.eatright.org. |
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