march 2003 news

Letter from the chair

The North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition is excited that Janet Roberts, RD, LDN has been appointed for a three year term to serve the Board in the professional position of clinical dietetics. Janet is currently working as a renal dietitian for Davita of Martin County. She has served on the board of the North Carolina Dietetic Association and worked very hard with legislative issues both at the Federal and State levels. The Board wishes to thank Johnnie Jackson, Terri Clapsaddle, Gayle Dixon, Melissa Blandford, and the many NCDA Board members who worked so hard in helping Janet's appointment become a reality.

The Board also welcomes Mary Ann Barnes, RD, LDN. Mary Ann has been appointed by NCDA to serve as the Licensure Liaison to the NCBDN. Mary Ann has served the NCDA in many capacities over the years. She also spent many hours working extremely hard to make licensure a reality in North Carolina. She will be working with the support of both NCDA and NCBDN to monitor the legislature for actions that will affect our profession this year. Please support Mary Ann in these efforts.

All NCBDN meetings are open to those who would like to attend. Our next meeting is March 25, 2002 from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. All meetings are held at the Board office located at 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102, in Raleigh. If you are interested in attending, please call the Board office at (919) 861-5580.

Susan Hayes, MEd, RD, LDN
Chair, NCBDN

2003 General Assembly Session

The North Carolina General Assembly reconvened on January 29, 2003. There are several important legislative issues that need the attention of all LDNs in North Carolina. The North Carolina Naturopathic Physicians Association has organized and announce to legislators their intent to reintroduce a bill this session to establish a naturopathy licensure board. Practitioners of the "naturopathic philosophy" have been visiting members of the General Assembly in recent weeks to gain support for their initiative. If licensed under G.S. 90, the health care practitioners act, naturopaths would be able to practice dietetics/nutrition in North Carolina. The North Carolina Medical Society has determined that licensing naturopaths is not in the best interest of patients in North Carolina. The North Carolina Dietetic Association is currently working to develop a strategic plan regarding this issue. As information is made available, it will be distributed to the districts for action. If your district would like to hear more about licensure and ways to strengthen the law to prevent others from legally practicing our profession, please contact the Board office to schedule a presentation.

The NCBDN has three positions becoming vacant this year. These are professional positions in the areas of education, public health, and management. The Speakers of the House are responsible for appointing a

board member whose primary area of practice is public health. The Governor is responsible for appointing a member who is on the faculty of a college or university specializing in the field of dietetics/nutrition. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate is responsible for appointing a member whose primary area of practice is the management of nutrition services. After the appointments are made, they are included in a bill with all other appointees of boards and commissions. Ratification of this bill usually occurs near the end of the session.

Summary of Actions Taken by the Board

Compliance with the Dietetics Practice Act continues to be a major priority for the Board as the purpose of the law is to protect the public from harmful nutrition practice. The Board acts on each complaint received. Most complaints are substantiated and resolved with cease and desist letters. Some are found to be unsubstantiated and some do not fall under the authority of the NCBDN. Those that are not under the jurisdiction of NCBDN are forwarded to the appropriate investigating board. When filing a complaint, it is extremely important to include information helpful for the investigation. Complaints must be in writing, with additional information attached. Complaint forms can be found on the NCBDN web site or obtained from the Board office. A letter of complaint is also appropriate. The following actions have been taken by the Board since July 2002.

Cease and desist letters were sent to those listed below for practicing nutrition without a license.

• Arleen Garrett, Bodyworks for Women, Durham
• Carol Simontacchi, CCN, Wings Nutrition Program, internet based program
• Marcia Hester, Nature's Supermarket & Café, Hickory
• Kimberly Barrett, CNC, Raleigh

• Ted Sampson and personal trainers at 7 locations of Gold's Gyms - Raleigh (3), Cary (2), Garner, and Greensboro.
• Scott Soule, Nautilus, Asheboro
• Christine Luciano, World Gym, Concord
• Roger Morrison, World Gym, Concord
• Ann Hunt, Highwoods Wellness Center, Raleigh
• Richard Buell, Cherry Point
• Joseph Morawski, Hendersonville,
• Thomas Pruitt, NC Dept. of Corrections, Reidsville
• Shawn Pearson, Quest Fitness, Wrightsville Beach
• Janet Torgerson, YMCA, Kings Mountain

The Board resolved the following complaints listed below.

• A settlement conference resolved a violation that occurred when a licensee continued to practice after his/her license had lapsed.
• A complaint against Roxanne Koteles, Certified Chef, was resolved when it was determined that the law was not violated during the presentation of cooking classes.
• A complaint against Weight Loss Forever was resolved when it was determined that appropriate referrals were made to a licensed dietitian/nutritionist.
• A complaint against Susan Clontz, YMCA, Hickory, was resolved when it was determined that nutrition care services were not provided in a program that was presented.

Several weight control services came into compliance with review and approval after receiving notification that their approval had expired. Since July 1, 2002, several ??(will get the number) weight control programs have received approval for meeting minimum standards for safe weight control.

Fraud Alert!! Protect Your Credentials!

Belinda Diane Brown has resurfaced and is forging the credentials of licensed and registered dietitians! She has most recently applied for employment with a facility in Asheboro. Just prior to that she consulted with Good Hope Hospital in Erwin and Bladen Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown. She has most recently used the name Colleen B. Kristbaum, a registered dietitian in Wisconsin. In the past, she has taken photocopies of CDR and license cards, forged her name on them, and presented them as her credentials when applying for employment. Ms. Brown has two social security numbers; 241-15-7399 and 240-15-7399 (believed to be her real one). The names that she has used include, Belinda Diane Brown, Belinda Hutchins Brown, and Belinda Brown McGill. She lives in Pinehurst, NC and usually seeks employment within a 1-2 hour commute of that area. She tends to work with a man named Sam McGill, believed to be her husband. The Moore County District Attorney's office has prosecuted her on charges of larceny, embezzlement, forgery, passing worthless checks, and obtaining property under false pretenses.

There are several ways to protect your credentials from theft.

• Always present the original cards to employers before giving them a copy.
• When giving a copy of your cards to anyone, always write or stamp the word "COPY" boldly across the copy to prevent information on the card from being erased and recopied.
• Always leave your CDR and licensure cards in a safe place, never in a purse or briefcase.
• Notify CDR and NCBDN immediately when your cards are missing.

The legal counsel for both CDR and NCBDN have made attempts to prevent Ms. Brown

from further fraudulent acts, but her name changes over the years have made it difficult. The NCBDN has notified the North Carolina Board of Nursing Home Administrators and the North Carolina Hospital Association with this alert so that long term care facilities and hospitals in the area can be aware if future attempts for employment are made.

License Renewal Deadline is March 31!

Renewal notices for 2003 were sent to over 1650 licensees on January 15, 2003. If you have not already done so, please remember to renew your license to practice dietetics/nutrition before March 31. If you did not receive a renewal notice, please contact the Board office immediately! Renewals that are not postmarked by March 31 are considered late and licensees must pay a $50 late fee in addition to the $50 renewal fee. A license is considered lapsed if not renewed by May 31 of each year. The cost to reinstate a lapsed license is $125. According to the law, failure to receive a renewal notice is not justification for a late renewal. It is up to the licensee to notify the Board office with name and/or address changes.