Ill. Legislative Alert REMINDER: Conference call tonight (11/19): nutrition education (SB2936)

[Debbie Hillman]

To:  

Advocates for Urban Agriculture   (Greater Chicago)

Food Love Chicago (food lovers in general -- includes bodyworkers & alternative health practitioners)

Illinois Local Food and Farms Coalition  (Illinois)

Good Greens Midwest  (6 states served by USDA FNS Midwest Office:  IL, IN, OH, MI, MN, WI, based in Chicago)

Evanston Healthy Community Task Force (PTA Councils)

and other Illinois residents who find health and healing in many places (and want to keep it that way)

This is a follow-up to my email from last Friday, with a little more information, including the text of the proposed amendment (see Item #2. Fact Sheet).

1.  RESPONSES TO MY OUTREACH so far 

a.  I got a call from a Wisconsin RD who is a member of the HEN DPG.   She is most concerned about prescribing diets for hospital patients, especially in acute care.   We agreed that much more conversation (broad and deep) needs to be had. 

b.  Illinois responses:   I received 4 responses from people around the state.   I have copied the text of their messages below, without their names or contact information since no one has given me permission to pass on that information.  

2.  FACT SHEET.   Attached is a 1-page fact sheet prepared by the Illinois Citizens for Health Freedom.   It lays out the issues very succinctly and includes the draft amendment proposed by ICHF (which would make SB2936 less onerous.   

What is not clear from the FACT SHEET is why SB2936 is being proposed at all.

3. CONFERENCE CALL. TONIGHT.    The agenda of this call includes discussion of SB2936, but it is also being organized to introduce Illinois residents to two organizations (Illinois Citizens for Health Freedom and the national parent organization).

If you join this call and you mostly want to talk about SB2936, it would be important to let the moderator know that up front.   

Date: Monday, November 19, 2012
Time: 7:00 pm (CST)
Dial In Number: 1-218-936-4700
Access Code: 5129065

You are invited to a conference call with Illinois Citizens for Health Freedom, a project of NHFA:

1) To introduce you to members of this new and important health freedom group, Illinois Citizens for Health Freedom, and hear whether you have an interest in being part of the new group;

2) To update you on efforts to amend IL SB 2936, the restrictive and monopolistic Dietitian Nutritionist Licensing bill, so that it will include a freedom of speech health freedom amendment to protect access to many unlicensed complementary and alternative health care practitioners; and

3) To update you on ICHF’s work on preparing to introduce a broader health freedom bill that would exempt unlicensed practitioners from occupational licensing under a safe harbor law, and protect consumer access to these many holistic practitioners.

4. NEXT STEP?   FACE to FACE MEETING with SEN.  MARTINEZ?   From where I sit, the best next step would be to have a collective meeting with Sen. Martinez, where a large variety of stakeholders are invited:  

a.  whoever is working with Sen. Martinez on the original bill 

b.  proponents of an amendment, such as the one on your handout.

I have recommended such a meeting to the organizers of this call, Dan Podraza (Illinois) and Diane Miller (Minnesota).    

I also want to give a belated thank you to Venessa Rodriguez of Chicago (artist, activist, health coach in training) for first bringing this issue to my attention.  Venessa, Dan, and Diane are all copied on this email.

For more information, it is best to contact Dan:  847/891-6762   or   podra...@yahoo.com.  

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman

Evanston, Illinois

D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters

847/328-7175

DLHi...@sbcglobal.net

FoodVote.2012.com    (http://DHillmanStrategies.com)

4 Responses from D. Hillman outreach to various networks (Nov. 16 and 17):

Does anyone know more about why Martinez is sponsoring this bill? It makes me think about those Herbalife nutrition centers that pop up around a lot of Chicago's Latino neighborhoods. Here is a short blurb in Time Out that describes the pyramid-scheme operation:
http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/museums/90686/whats-up-with-that

Herbalife and their shakes-in-styrofoam-cups are exploitative as a business, but condemning all non-traditional nutrition and health providers is not the solution.

Artist and Educator, Chicago

Debbie:

This bill has implications for community health workers (CHWs) and public health educators. 

While it is meant to protect people from certain practitioners, it is very vague. It should focus on unqualified and untrained individuals who charge fees for services or bill insurance companies. There are some charlatans in the Latino community providing misinformation and recommendations (not based on evidence).  But, on the hand, there are a lot of licensed practitioners who are providing vague, dated, culturally inappropriate, and incomplete information and recommendation or fail to provide behavioral change support. Most health professionals, including dietitians, are under- or untrained in communication and behavioral change methods or educational methods (popular education). 

Practicing Anthropologist

Chicago, Illinois

I will send this to my Health Coaching Colleagues.  I think more control is not the way to heal this country.  Obesity and diabetes is out of control.  Obviously, something is not working.  With more control, what is the ADA proposing to help alleviate the countrys dietary issues?

 

An IIN graduate

The sin of it is that the legislation STILL allows people workin at a health food or vitamin store dispense advice but not someone with a degree of any level in nutrition or Nutritional Epidemiology who simply hasn't pursued an RD (unless doing research attached to a university, etc).

And conversations on this lit would be subject to this law as well.  We can't give nutrition advice to each other, either.  Unbelievable.

CHC/AADP, PMP

Health & Wellness Coach, Educator and Speaker