Cutting-Edge Practice

Washington State Nutrition Network

State/Jurisdiction: Washington
Setting: Community
Population: CYSHCN Medical & Public Health Professionals
Topic Area: Access to Quality Healthcare Nutrition & Physical Activity Workforce Development
NPMs:

The Washington State Nutrition Network is a long-standing collaboration between the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the University of Washington’s Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD) focused on improving nutrition services for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Established in 1987 following a statewide Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) needs assessment, the Network strengthens the capacity of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to address the complex nutrition and feeding needs of CYSHCN.

As the Network developed, RDNs identified increasingly complex feeding concerns that often required expertise beyond a single discipline. In the early 1990's, the DOH-IHDD partnership expanded to support the development and training of community-based interdisciplinary feeding teams. Today, the Nutrition Network continues to build statewide capacity through foundational training, continuing education, annual meetings, mentoring, peer and professional support, and connections to multidisciplinary expertise.



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CONTACT INFORMATION
Washington State Department of Health and University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability
Khimberly Schoenacker
Khimberly.Schoenacker@doh.wa.gov
lilmaro@uw.edu

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