Innovative eating
The BeWell Community Nutrition Service turned heads last week when they collected the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board’s top award – but they’ve been turning heads with their great work for the past two years.
“To make good nutrition as easy as possible for as many people as possible.”
That’s the mission of the BeWell Community Nutrition Service, according to dietician Naomi Johnson.
“There are so many mixed messages about healthy eating and nutrition that people just don’t know which messages to follow,” Naomi said.
“We work with such a wide range of providers, doctors, nurses and community workers, to make sure they are up to date with the latest healthy eating messages.”
It’s nutrition, but not as Nelson knew it.
The NPA funded service focuses on providing a nutrition component to community programmes that focus on the skills to prepare healthy meals and up-skilling primary health care workers such as practise nurses.
Winners: Nelson Bays Primary Health chief executive Andrew Dobbs with Naomi Johnson and Marion Van Oeveren
“We’re involved in practical and community programmes that focus on the skills to prepare healthy meals having the time and making it easy,” Naomi said.
“We can’t give people more money to buy food, but we can help them to make better choices with what they have.
“It’s important that people know how they can put it (good nutrition) into practice.”
Established two years ago based on an NPA concept, the service has been successfully delivered by the Nelson Bays Primary Health Organisation thanks to Naomi and fellow dietician Marion Van Oeveren.
It was their work that last week saw the BeWell Community Nutrition Service recognised as the region’s top health innovation, for creating a quality model of nutrition service delivery.
After winning the collaborating for health improvement category, the service was named overall winner at the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board’s Health Quality and Innovation awards.
Recognition: DHB chair Suzanne Win presents the award to the winning team
“The way we set up the community service was quite innovative and creative,” Marion said.
“When we started two years ago we did a lot of consultation and went out to the community to see how they would like to see the service work.
“From the start we had a vision that we could do more than providing dietician clinics and giving nutrition advice.
“We wanted to be part of the good stuff already happening and build on that.”
