By now, many members realize the non-profit relationship with the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS)—perhaps most recently from the HIMSS/Academy Nutrition Informatics Town Hall Series (you can still register for the third and final in the series: Meaningful Use in Action: Exploring the Possibilities of Nutrition Informatics)
This year, we have multiple dietitians in attendance at the HIMSS 2013 Conference in New Orleans (NO), La. For the more than 35,000 in attendance, they can participate in multiple nutrition related sessions. These include one on the TIGER (Technology Information Guiding Education Reform) Initiative, one with the Academy’s Chief Science Officer on Malnutritionand an open discussion on digital nutrition. Why does this matter? Because we need open, transparent discussions on how and what to document with digital nutrition data to improve health care.
So this is likely a most impressive aspect of HIMSS2013? Absolutely! However, what renewed me most was the story of New Orleans Mayor Mitchell Landrieu, who provided real numbers of improved education, improved healthcare, rebuilding and revitalization in the city since Hurricane Katrina devastated NO in 2005. While “advocacy” for nutrition is at times challenging, his story was what I needed--that perseverance in difficult times, can be overcome and indeed can make you better, stronger and more positive. It was worth the trip on day one.