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NTEN instructor meets with Congressional
delegates on healthcare reform
July 16, 2009 In addition to being a new NTEN instructor (HDFN 524, Teaching Adolescent Nutrition,), Virginia Mermel of Billings, Mont. is an expert on children's nutrition and preventative health strategies. In June 2009, she traveled to Washington, D.C. with fellow members of the Montana Dietetic Association (MDA) to meet with Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont), a member of the Agriculture Committee.
"Nutrition is a cornerstone of wellness and disease prevention," said Mermel. "Because of his position as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Baucus is a key decision-maker in the healthcare reform process, and it is important he understands the value of good nutrition and other disease prevention strategies in every American's life."
The American Dietetic Association reported on the Montana delegation's visit in On the Pulse, the organization's national publication, writing that the group's emphasis on preventative health elicited an "a-ha" moment from at least one attendee— a physician detailed to Capitol Hill for the health reform debate.
"The effects of penny wise, dollar foolish, sick care policies became clear at least for one person working on reforming health care in the United States," wrote On the Pulse editors. "We thank leaders of the Montana Dietetic Association for coming to Washington to discuss health reform and child nutrition with Montana legislators."
Mermel said the MDA members urged broader coverage of preventative health programs in the evolving Healthcare Reform Bills. They also discussed child nutrition programs; WIC; USDA oversight of foods sold in schools; and the "Supper Bill," which would provide funding to feed dinner to students who currently participate in schools' reduced meal programs.
Mermel is a Certified Human Nutrition Specialist and Certified Lifestyle Counselor with a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry and minor in Exercise Physiology. She currently works as a Health Risk Management Communications and Curriculum Specialist. Mermel has also authored several articles about the benefits of preventative health strategies—particularly those focused on lifestyle changes—and has spoken to several groups in her state about the value of including medical nutrition therapy as a vital component of U.S. Healthcare Reform.
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