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Meet Our Dietitians-
Joy Daniel and Dawn McCoy
Meet our remarkable dietitians, Joy Daniel MS, RDN, LD, and Dawn McCoy MS, RDN, LD. They are part of the Sodexo Food and Nutrition Services Management team at Upson Regional Medical Center.
They are nutritional food experts whose primary focus is referrals from nursing, physicians as well as processes that identify nutritional risk. They assess patient needs, make recommendations for tube feedings, and provide community education - - teaching classes on topics such as diabetes and weight loss.
Daniel and McCoy work hand in hand with the Food Services team, supporting patient needs.“The Food Services team does a great job helping us with food and delivery safety.We couldn’t do what we do without them,” said McCoy. McCoy and Daniel conduct test trays where they evaluate the taste, texture, temperature, appearance and quality of food for the various diets.“Test trays not only help us to monitor and maintain quality, they allow us to experience a meal from the patient’s perspective,” says McCoy.
In October 2019, McCoy and Daniel even started a Probiotic Protocol to help reduce hospital cases of C. diff. “After viewing a webinar about how probiotics can be used to reduce C. diff, we thought this could be a great way for our department to be part of the solution,” McCoy said. Over 8,000 units of Probiotics have been served to Upson patients so far this year. The Probiotic Protocol, along
with other interdisciplinary measures, has led to a significant decrease in hospital acquired C. diff infections in 2020.
Daniel and McCoy also completed specialized continuing education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is loss of the sense of taste and smell, which impacts appetite and intakes.“A COVID-19 patient’s condition can change daily.We want to make sure those patients are assessed properly,” Daniel said.
Our dietitians are always here to provide nutritional guidance to patients while they are here, but also when they are discharged. “We had a high nutritional risk patient with complex medical issues that was discharged home with a tube feeding. We made sure we checked on that patient daily until their condition stabilized,”
said Daniel.
Daniel is currently completing continuing education on health and wellness coaching.“It is always good to get your skill level up to improve quality of care,” she said.
We are very thankful for our dietitians and the compassionate, skillful knowledge they provide.
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