Open Hand began during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1988, serving meals to our neighbors living with and disenfranchised by the disease. While those darkest days are thankfully behind us, we still proudly serve people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the metro Atlanta area. We work with patients through referrals from Ryan White funded clinics daily, providing Medical Nutrition Therapy, meals, Market Baskets, and produce boxes. Additionally, last year we started providing a produce prescription program. Through our funding from the Ryan White Department of HIV Elimination we put our years of expertise serving this community to further use. To increase viral load suppression and medication adherence we wanted to expand access to nutrition resources and provide the wraparound care that those living with HIV/AIDS require, several of our Registered Dietitian Nutritionists came together to write and print an educational handbook.
Titled Nutrition for Healthy Living: Your Complete Nutrition Guide to Living with HIV/AIDS, this comprehensive handbook covers everything from informed food choices, medication management, food and supplements, joyful movement, tips for feeling unwell, and much more. The booklet brings together 36 years of expertise from five of our incredible RDNs, including our Community Dietitian, Jennifer Baugh RDN, LD who provides nutrition education and counseling in the Ryan White funded clinics across the Metro. Throughout the book there are additional resources available that readers can utilize to seek further information to better support their specific needs.
"I’m very proud to be able to share this booklet with the community. Our team of RDNs worked hard to curate this evidence-based, client-centered, and trauma-informed booklet. I’ve been working with this community for over 14 years, and this has been a resource swirling in my brain for a while now. It’s so wonderful to share our collective knowledge about food and nutrition and how it can improve viral load suppression and medication adherence.”
- Laura Samnadda, MS, RDN, LD, Director of Nutrition Services
We firmly believe in closing the nutrition gap and strive to provide equitable access to resources for those in need of them. While we will provide printed handbooks to those clients we're able to serve through our in-person programming, we've also made a digital version available online on our website. We encourage you to take a look below!
A special shoutout to everyone on the Open Hand team who contributed to this booklet: Aizya Ali-Mohammed RDN, LD; Alexandra Covington MS-MPH, RDN, LD; Jennifer Baugh RDN, LD; Kristen Avera MS, RDN, LD, CDCES; Laura Samnadda MS, RDN, LD; and Samantha Ford.
Disclaimer: Registered Dietitian Nutritionists have carefully prepared this booklet. However, the booklet is prepared for informational purposes only and may not represent the needs of a particular individual managing HIV/AIDS. The booklet is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Each person should share this booklet with their medical provider or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist to seek a professional opinion on individual nutritional needs. Never disregard the medical or nutritional advice of a medical provider or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist because of something you read in this booklet. The inclusion of any products or processes in this booklet does not represent an endorsement.
