Services

Nutrition Services

Hospital Nutrition & Counseling Services

Acute Care Dietitians:
  • Are registered and licensed dietitians who provide nutrition services in the hospital.
  • Provide individual counseling of patients and families on special diets.
  • Are active participants on health care teams and meetings in the hospital.
  • Teach cardiac rehab classes each month.
  • Provide guidelines on dietary supplements such as minerals and vitamins, herbal products, food and drug interactions, and nutritional supplements.
  • Evaluate and manage medical and surgical malnourished hospitalized patients (including children and infants) receiving parenteral and enteral/tube feeding nutrition.
  • Assess and make nutritional recommendation with infant and pediatric patients.
  • Work closely with a Mercy Home Care dietitian regarding follow-up with standards of care.

An enteral feeding program is necessary when you cannot eat an adequate amount of calories.
Parenteral nutrition is needed if the gastrointestinal (GI) tract cannot be used because of disease or other medical conditions. Parenteral nutrition provides nutrition directly into the bloodstream and avoids the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. For information call 641.422.7730.

Mercy Wound Clinic
The wound clinic is for patients of all ages with a non-healing wound. It is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary team approach to wound healing. This team consists of a physician, a nurse practitioner specializing in wound care, physical therapist, physical therapy assistants, dietitian, and an orthotist/prothetist.

Your initial visit will take approximately 2 hours. In a treatment room, your wound will be undressed and measured. The Wound Clinic Team will evaluate your wound and discuss the best plan of care and order any tests if needed. You will visit with a dietitian.

A dietitian can advise you on what to eat to maximize healing. Proper nursing care and good nutrition go hand in hand in prevention and healing of pressure sores/wounds. For more information call 641.422.7498.

Mercy Cancer Center
Nutritional status has a major impact on the quality of life of people with cancer. Preventing nutrition problems is one of the issues faced by you and your family. For more information call 641.422.6300.

Mercy Weight Management Clinic at Regency
The Mercy Weight Management Clinic is a medically supervised, comprehensive approach to weight management for adult patients. Individuals can self-refer or can be referred by their physician. The team of health care providers that support the clinic include a physician, a registered dietitian, a personal trainer and the nursing staff. Click here to learn more or call 641.422.6900.

Outpatient Nutrition Education
  • Individual nutrition counseling is available Monday through Friday through physician referral.
  • Nutrition counseling is provided for many reasons including heart disease, weight management, kidney diseases, lung disease, pediatric nutrition, Celiac disease, food allergies, eating disorders, and gastro-intestinal disorders.
  • Education is provided in a one-on-one counseling session. Family is encouraged to attend.
  • Group classes are available for weight management.
    For more information call 641.422.6443.
Diabetes Education
  • A dietitian, nurse and/or a certified diabetes educator provide diabetes education and diabetes management skills. Information includes knowledge of diabetes, diabetes meal planning, monitoring of blood sugars, management of medications.
  • Your physician will make a referral to the clinic after evaluating your diabetes management and your need for further education.
  • Diabetes education may be received one-to-one counseling, group classes, or clinic supplemented with audiovisual and printed materials.
    It is well established that intensive diabetes management will delay or even prevent diabetes complications. You may be seen initially by a dietitian in the hospital and then be referred to the outpatient clinic. For more information call 641.422.6443.
Mercy Dialysis Center

Early Kidney Disease
There is evidence that controlling blood pressure and diabetes may help slow down the progression of kidney disease. Limiting salt, protein foods, and keeping blood sugar levels in good control may be beneficial for preserving kidney function. A Mercy dietitian can advise patients on nutrition guidelines for early kidney disease. To contact a dietitian for outpatient nutrition counseling call 641.422.6443.

End Stage Renal Disease or Dialysis
Patients with end stage kidney disease may be on hemodialysis (in-center) or on peritoneal dialysis (home dialysis). Nutritional requirements vary with the type of dialysis. A dietitian certified in renal nutrition at Mercy Dialysis Center works with each individual patient to design a meal plan that meets his or her individual needs. For more information call the dietitian at 641.422.5336.