Bill worries natural health providers

A bill in the Virginia General Assembly has some natural health providers concerned about their ability to stay in business. Sponsored by Delegate John O’Bannon (R-73rd District), proponents of House Bill 345 say it’s simply an attempt to regulate dietetic practice in the commonwealth.

“It has everything to do with licensing dietitians,” O’Bannon said, who doesn’t understand the natural health community’s opposition to the bill.

“It’s not meant to pull them in and they would not be adversely affected by this,” he said. “The dietitians want to regulate themselves and set a standard that is in a clinical setting.”

But natural health providers worry the wording of the bill threatens the future of their practice.

“Anyone who is helping to educate people [about nutrition] would be affected,” said Linda Dulicai, owner of The Healthy Zone in Warrenton.

Dulicai has been counseling people about their health for more than 30 years, but believes language in the bill referencing “the nutrition care process” would prohibit anyone but licensed dietitians from providing such services.

“There are things that are specifically listed in the bill that are part of the controlled practice of dietetics,” said John Hanks, a lobbyist for Virginians for Health Freedom. “All the rest of people who work in natural health or nutrition would not be able to practice anything listed as dietetics.”

The bill defines the nutrition care process as “the systematic problem solving method used to critically think about and make decisions regarding the provision of medical nutrition therapy or to address nutrition related problems.”

“It would potentially put me out of work and make it illegal for me to give nutritional advice, which is one third of what I do,” said one local health counselor, who asked not to be named.

According to those in favor of the bill, however, the point is to define one group, not restrict others.

“The nutrition care process is the scope of what a dietitian does ... of course other practitioners like doctors or nurses, or even people outside of the healthcare field will do components of the nutrition care process and this bill doesn’t prohibit them from continuing to do that,” said Richard Grossman, a lobbyist on behalf of the Virginia Dietetic Association.

The Virginia Dietetic Associ - ation introduced the bill with the hope that passing a [licensing] requirement would enable dietitians in clinical settings to operate “to the full extent of their education and training.”

Right now, dietitians cannot change a patient’s nutritional program without consulting with a physician.

“By [being licensed], they would be allowed to make modifications directly,” Grossman said. “It simplifies things in the hospital, freeing up the doctor, and allowing the dietitian to be able to follow through with their recommendations.”

The association believes the change would reduce hospital stays, result in a better experience for the patient, and enhance working relationships between medical team professionals.

“It’s only meant for registered dietitians, so that when we become licensed, we can have the privileges in the hospital and health care settings to do everything that we’re uniquely trained to do,” said Jackie Darling, executive director of the Virginia Dietetic Association.

“This bill is for dieticians who are providing medical nutrition therapy only,” Darling said. “It is not going to keep [others] from doing what they do as long as they’re not violating their title protection and calling themselves dieticians.”

Shelly Ross, owner of the Natural Marketplace in Warrenton, is not overly concerned by the bill.

“I’ve always thought that we weren’t supposed to prescribe or give people advice,” she said. “We give people information to make their own decisions, we never tell them what they should do ... we can education, but we can’t prescribe.”

Still, Dulicai believes it’s all about control.

“He who controls the information, controls the population,” she said. “The only way we can defend the right of people to get information on their own bodies and personal health is to address these bills.”

She says bills like this pop up annually and “the dieticians just happen to be this year’s variety.”

Hanks believes the bill will limit consumers and control the nutrition information market.

“On the surface it sounds like this is not a big deal, but when you license somebody to do something, that means that one group can do it and everybody else cannot,” he said. “We think that’s monopolistic and damaging to all other parties who currently work in the field of nutrition.

The Virginia House of Delegates Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions is expected to review the bill in the next week.