Lynn Winkler, pediatric dietitian with Catawba Valley Medical Center’s (CVMC) Healthy House, recently acquired the Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management from the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and its Commission on Dietetic Registration. Her new certification supplemented her expertise in nutrition and fitness with further education on the prevention of obesity, school nutrition, behavioral management, motivational interviewing, environmental and media influences, program development, weight loss surgery and the most recent evidence-based research in the area of childhood and adolescent obesity.

In addition to the ADA certification, Ms. Winkler is a registered dietitian and holds a Master of Arts degree in Family and Consumer Sciences (Foods and Nutrition) from Appalachian State University in Boone.

CVMC’s Healthy House offers a pediatric prevention program, one of the only initiatives of its kind in the nation, targeting at-risk children through a partnership with Catawba County’s Head Start program. According to national data, at-risk children include those from lower-income families or those whose parents (one or both) are obese. The pediatric treatment program is currently open to any child in Catawba County who qualifies to participate.

Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC, twice recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet facility, was named as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers as well as twice awarded as a “Distinguished Hospital for An Outstanding InPatient Experience” by J.D. Power and Associates.