Academy Members Advocate for the Profession on Capitol Hill

Academy policy leaders from across the country gathered Thursday, April 4, in Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional offices to discuss two of the Academy’s top policy priorities: expansion of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and nutrition security.

Academy members advocated for the passage of the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act, highlighting the impact this bill would have on the nutrition and dietetics profession, as well as the communities registered dietitian nutritionists serve. Passage of the MNT Act would:

• Expand Medicare coverage for MNT to beneficiaries with chronic diseases including prediabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer, malnutrition and more;
• Authorize nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists and psychologists to refer their patients for MNT; and
• Promote health equity for racial and ethnic minority communities that have a higher burden of chronic disease.

Academy members also advocated for the following nutrition security priorities:

• Protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), nutrition education, and nutrition incentives in the Farm Bill; and
• Restore funding to federal nutrition programs that received cuts in the latest appropriations bills, including the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program; child nutrition programs such as school kitchen equipment grants, breakfast, and technical assistance; the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program; and The Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Academy members are encouraged to advocate for these and other issues throughout the year by joining monthly Advocacy Affinity Groups’ meetings.