At Open Hand, we strongly believe that we have an obligation to help others understand the importance and impact of our medically tailored nutrition interventions. To that end, our staff leadership and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are often invited to speak at healthcare-focused conferences and coalition meetings. These presentation opportunities are part of our advocacy work to elevate why health promoting food and nutrition services should be integrated into our healthcare system.
The following are just a few of these opportunities where Open hand’s mission becomes front and center:
- Today, Open Hand’s team of dedicated RDNs will welcome their colleagues in the Georgia Academy of Nutrition Dietetics (GAND) to Open Hand’s campus for a two-day summit. RDNs from throughout Georgia will be in attendance to discuss innovations and review data that supports the value proposition of food as medicine. We are deeply honored to have been invited to host this annual convening.
- Laura Samnadda (MS, RDN, LD), Director of Nutrition Services, was invited to speak at the Hunger Nutrition and Health in Pregnancy Action Network highlighting Open Hand’s work with women who have high risk pregnancies.
- Senior Director of Client Services and Outcomes Tracking, Aleta McLean, and I co-presented for the Medical Association of Atlanta (MAA) for their series, Addressing the Social Determinants of Heath: Food Insecurity. We discussed the impact of our programming, the connection between food and wellness, funding streams that helps to support our work and instructions on how healthcare professionals can enroll their patients into home-delivered meals and nutrition counseling offerings.
- Next week I will be joining Bridgette Harris, MSW, CPM, Deputy Director, HIV Elimination, Fulton County Government at the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA’s) monthly webinar titled HAB you Heard? where together we will focus a spotlight on the importance of medically tailored nutrition for people living with HIV/ AIDS. (HAB stands for HIV/AIDS Bureau) This webinar will be broadcast across the country.
- Several Open Hand staff members will be attending the Food is Medicine Conference (FIMCON) in Washington DC at the start of June. Food access leaders from around the country will convene to discuss best practices and innovative strategies for expanding access to health promoting food. I am honored to have been invited to be a panelist in one of the plenary sessions.
The day after this conference, our staff will join our colleagues within the national Food Is Medicine Coalition to meet with legislators on The Hill to advocate for increased support of medically tailored meals interventions. - I am also honored to have been invited to be a panelist at the National Ryan White Conference in August for the Aging Institute session: Prioritizing Quality of Life with Community Support Services.
These presentation opportunities help to underscore Open Hand’s rightful place as a leader in our healthcare sector. By sharing the value proposition of medically tailored meals and the impact of food as medicine in the lives of people like the neighbors we serve, we're ever closer in expanding our ability to deliver more of our life-saving nutrition services to Georgians living with serious and chronic illness.
We look forward to sharing learnings from these conferences and summits, as well as many other thought leadership opportunities.
Matthew Pieper, CEO