2023 Department of Pediatrics Academic Annual Report

Community Impact

Renal Care Center Food Assistance Program by Emily Franklin

In 2020, the Renal Care Center Food Assistance Program was launched in the dialysis unit at Children’s of Alabama. This project aims to address the often-overlooked problem of food insecurity and insufficient access to nutritious foods in dialysis patients. The Program has received generous support from Children’s of Alabama through the Children’s Table Initiative. This project was implemented by Sahar Fathallah-Shaykh, M.D., the previous director of the Pediatric Dialysis Unit, along with Janelle Hanick RDN, LD, Registered Dietitian at Children’s of Alabama. The program is currently led by Daniel Feig, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology. Hanick said, “This program helps by addressing food insecurity in our dialysis population to ensure these children receive the appropriate prescribed diet, e.g., adequate protein, lower salt, and appropriate potassium and phosphorus containing foods, and can achieve adequate nutrition.” The cornerstone of the program is the understanding that, although modern medical procedures such as dialysis are vital for patients’ health, food insecurity affects health outcomes and increases the need for healthcare services. This project emerged from an incident that took place with a patient while she was in the hospital and revealed that, instead of health issues, her declining condition was caused by inadequate food resources. This incident stressed the significance of food insecurity in the care of patients needing dialysis. The program uses a comprehensive strategy, concentrating on screening and intervention to address hunger in the most susceptible individuals. Acknowledging the high expense of nutritious food, which is heightened by inflation, the initiative fills the financial gap for patients and their families.

Sahar Fathallah-Shaykh, M.D.

Janelle Hanick RDN, LD

Daniel Feig, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.

2023 Academic Annual Report

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