Project Network

Project Network: Community-Based Nutrition Systems Care for Mississippi's Children and Adolescents with Special Needs and Their Families

Project Staff: Nancy Baggett
Funding Agency: Maternal Child Health, Region IV Nutritionist
Core Functions: Outreach training, client services, technical assistance, dissemination
Life Span Stages: Children and young adults

Mission: The Nutrition Services Division of the Children's Medical Program provides family support, consultation, and technical assistance through Regional Nutritionists to caregivers and service providers for children from birth to 21 years old with special health care needs. Nutrition related problems occur frequently among infants, children, and adolescents with special health care needs; adequate nutrition is, therefore, an important component of their treatment.

Goals and Objectives:

Improve the health status of Mississippi's children and adolescents with special needs through provision of family-centered, community-based, culturally sensitive nutrition services.

More fully develop the Mississippi Interagency Nutrition Network by including family members and other professionals and expanding activities.

Develop and implement community-based experiences for senior or graduate nutrition dietetics students working with children and adolescents with special needs, as well as assist in the educational preparation and/or in-service education of health professionals working with this population.

Provide community-based comprehensive enhanced nutrition services to children with special health care needs. Services include specialized nutrition assessment/ counseling, coordination of long-term nutrition follow-up, home visits, and site visits to schools and day care facilities.

Have age, literacy, and culturally appropriate educational materials on major disorders and their nutritional implications available in all appropriate MSDH clinics for caregivers and school-age clients, as well as available to any caregiver or professional staff, upon request.

Consumer Involvement: The Mississippi Interagency Nutrition Network Advisory Council includes four MSDH program consultants, eight MSDH Nutrition Supervisors, four medical consultants, 11 parent advisors, five MR nutrition directors, 11 interagency/allied health consultants, and four dietetic educators.

Community/Client Impact: Nutritionist provides community-based comprehensive enhanced nutrition services to children with special health care needs.