Emily Gerlach, MS, RDN, LD is a registered dietitian with Whitman-Walker. The community health partnership between Whitman-Walker and Food & Friends began in the early years of the AIDS epidemic. Whitman-Walker is a first responder and care provider for those living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQ care and advocacy; and a research center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment and prevention science.
We sat down with Emily to reflect on her five years of service with Whitman-Walker, explore how our work intertwines, and discuss the positive impact we can have on patients through mindful, intentional partnership, and excellent service.
Please share more about your background and your work with Whitman-Walker.
As a registered dietitian in primary care, I see patients for various conditions. Whitman-Walker specializes in HIV and LGBTQIA+ care. We have a lot of folks who are dealing with the side effects of HIV and HIV medication, and treatment protocols.
We often help people with nausea, vomiting, issues with weight changes, poor appetite, digestive issues, and things like that.
In our LGBTQIA+ population, disordered eating is common. I run a co-op called Eat & Engage with one of our therapists. We focus on eating lunch as a group, where we discuss intuitive eating and eating disorders.
I work with people with a broad range of conditions in individual counseling such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart and cardiovascular issues, digestive problems, and weight management. I also run diabetes self-management education annually. We help folks with diabetes better manage their illness.
I have been with Whitman-Walker for five years now. Previously, I worked in sub-acute care, which was great for establishing clinical skills. My favorite thing about Whitman-Walker has been the chance to have meaningful relationships with the people we care for and truly get to know my patients. The relationships we have go deeper than acute and sub-acute care. Whitman-Walker is a great fit for me.
Can you talk about your experience referring patients to Food & Friends?
Yes, absolutely! So, you all are amazing. Food & Friends has been such a lifeline for so many of our patients with life-challenging illnesses. Many people we serve are food insecure for assorted reasons. It is vital to have medically tailored meal options for folks with limited mobility issues who may have no way to get to the grocery store or physically prepare their meals.
The patients we serve often deal with complex medical histories and require specialized therapeutic care. Some require a modified diet, and they need the options Food & Friends provides.
I have heard from a lot of my patients that they feel helpless at times. It is tricky when dealing with physical limitations. People with life-challenging illnesses have a lot to consider when making food decisions. It can be overwhelming, so to have the option of Food & Friends is wonderful for our patients.
And it is not only for the reasons I have mentioned, medically tailored diets, the fundamental access to food, but also that personal connection to your volunteers and staff. A lot of people may feel isolated and alone, especially when they are homebound with physical limitations. It is nice for them to have a connection. I know people who love their volunteers who come to deliver the Food & Friends meals. They also love the phone calls with the dietitians and client services teams at Food & Friends.
I do not even have the words to describe how helpful Food & Friends has been for our patients. The referral process has always been seamless. Over the years, I have worked with many different intake coordinators and recertification coordinators, and everyone has been wonderful and always willing to help make it work for our patients.
What stands out to me is kindness and compassion. With Food & Friends, not only am I being treated well as a partner, but also my patients are being treated with so much compassion and kindness. I know the people at Food & Friends have the best intentions, and they want to make things work for as many people as possible, and that translates into everything Food & Friends does.
For-profit companies are investing in the provision of medically tailored meals as a business venture. But often, their meals are watered-down and do not include access to registered dietitians. Can you talk about the importance of nutrition counseling in combination with medically tailored meals?
Nutrition counseling only goes so far when a person does not have access to the right food or if they are unable to prepare those foods. There is only so much you can do with the information. When you marry the actual food with nutrition counseling, patients can have success in their nutrition-related goals. The combination of nutritious food and access to a dietitian is an integral part of effective care plans for patients.
What do your patients tell you about Food & Friends?
The overwhelming majority of people share how incredibly grateful they are. That is the biggest thing we hear; they talk about how much Food & Friends relieves their stress.
So many people talk about how excited they are when Thanksgiving rolls around. That is a big favorite for our patients. I get so many calls about that. They talk about how lucky they feel to be able to invite all their kids and their relatives over to share a special meal.
One person shared how much they appreciated it because they could no longer prepare food, and they had lost their partner and did not have access to a caretaker. The theme that shines through is the gratitude they feel for having one less thing to worry about.
What are some common barriers to health and proper nutrition that patients of Whitman-Walker are experiencing?
One of the biggest things is the cost of care, access to health care, food, and their feeling of safety in getting to medical appointments. Mobility, transportation, and access to proper care and nutrition can be systemic barriers.
Other things play a factor, like housing issues, spotty access to a kitchen, and sometimes people live in group settings where they do not always feel comfortable cooking meals, or they do not have the right tools. Your meal program is so helpful for those patients.
Do you have anything else to share with our readers?
I want to thank you all again. I have worked with so many folks at Food & Friends over the years, and I have never encountered someone unpleasant. They are so warm, and they want so badly to help our patients.