Madisonville Health Fair

Two more weeks have decided to fly by, full of fun opportunities and diversified days!

So far, every single day has been slightly different here at Baptist Health Madisonville (BHM). From little daily projects, to attending an evening lactation class, and even setting up a booth at the city's health fair, I have had a great time learning a varied amount of information and different skills.

I attended the BHM lactation class early last week with the lactation nurse. The nurse began the class with a powerpoint on everything one could possibly learn about lactation, and oh boy did I learn! We were then given fake babies, and taught the specifics of positions for lactation. The nurse was incredibly intelligent on the matter and a great instructor. After the class, her and I got to talking about recipes that can actually boost a mother's breast milk supply. I had no idea there was such a thing, but ingredients like oats, brewer's yeast, flax, fennel, and hemp seeds, poultry, garlic and some herbs can help promote an ample supply of milk. The nurse showed me a specific (and unique) recipe titled "Lactation Cookies" that she commonly gives to breast-feeding mothers, which I found interesting. I will add the recipe here below, which includes the bolded breast milk-promoting ingredients listed above:

	https://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/02/lactation-cookies/ 

The rest of the week included several small projects, watching tray line assembly, doing some test trays, and then preparation for the Madisonville City Health Fair.

Lori, my preceptor, decided that Lexi (my fellow UK dietetic intern) and I would handle the nutrition booth at the health fair all on our own. We were both excited for the opportunity to meet the city's employees and teach people about dietetics and nutrition. We spent a day or two preparing for the health fair by making a game onto a poster board and printing off heart-healthy handouts and other nutrition-related materials. [CRDN 3.4 Design, implement and evaluate presentations to a target audience.] We created the possibility for people to enter to win a free consultation with Lori, the registered dietitian for outpatients at BHM. Lexi made some slips of paper for people to provide their name, phone number, and email onto.

Lexi and I after setting up our Nutrition Booth

The health fair had other stations and booths where a participant could get their BMI and biometrics analyzed. There was a table where the male participants could get screened for prostate cancer with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. There was a truck outside to test the employee's hearing, and finally there was a woman discussing their lab results with them from the biometric station at the very end of the visit. I actually got the chance to get my finger pricked and have my biometrics analyzed, which fortunately, were pretty great! It was nice to objectively see that my physical activity and healthy eating has been affecting my body in a positive way.

Madisonville Fire Dept. Truck

Health Fair Coffee

Poster Board Game

The majority of the health fair visitors were male city employees. They were extremely kind and welcoming to us. Those that came over to our booth would look at a few handouts, and we would ask them if they had any specific nutrition-related questions for us. Then we would ask them if they would like to play the "Fact or Fiction?" game that Lexi and I developed to entice some dietetic questions. If the player got one of the statements correct by guessing if it was fact or fiction, then he or she could fill out the slip and put it in the jar for a chance to win the free consultation with the RD. It was a really great way to feel closer to the community by meeting the city's firemen, police officers, construction workers, electricians, first-responders, and even more city employees! I feel that I accomplished this competency this week: CRDN 2.3 Demonstrate active participation, teamwork and contributions in group settings.

The diversity of opportunities I have had so far at BHM has been great at keeping me continually excited during this rotation. I have been asked to do weekly test trays of the patient food. Some people may think that hospital food is not fantastic, but the food that I've tried has been tasty so far! I retrieve the tray from the specific patient floor I ordered it to arrive to, and then bring it down to the dietitians office.

Friday's lunch tray for patients on a regular diet

I check the temperatures of each entree, side, salad, beverage and dessert. I have found that the cold food is harder to keep below 41°F, whereas the hot food stays relatively hot and above the recommended temperature of 140°F. I give a "1" or a "0" for each category: taste, aroma, portion, and correct time delivered to the patient's floor and room. This tray displays the first time I tried the Boost supplement, which was indeed a very strong vanilla taste.

I think it's important that we know exactly what the patients are receiving in consideration to taste. When someone is sick and unwell in the hospital, a good meal may help to turn their mood around, as well as nourish their bodies.

I'm not only learning for myself throughout the dietetic internship, but I also feel that I am finally helping out people, both patients and employees of this city. It feels really great to be an advocator for health and nutrition.

References:

National Nutrition Month Toolkit. EatRight. (n.d.). https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month/toolkit

The Best Lactation Cookies! How Sweet Eats. (2020, August 3). https://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/02/lactation-cookies/