Jennifer Bowman, RD, LD, CLC
WIC and Healthy Start Administrator
Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness
As a Registered Dietitian, food and nutrition have always been passions of this year’s awardee. She has implemented many beneficial changes and built partnerships to improve health and health equity in Louisville.
Through her work with WIC, she found a passion for working with women and babies and has risen in the ranks to administrator of both our WIC and Healthy Start programs. Every day she gives her all to improve the services and policies surrounding women and infants.
When administrative inefficiencies and potential COVID exposure issues in a busy clinic were identified due to the physical presence requirement for 10-day old infants, she developed an innovative solution and partnered with UofL Hospital to allow WIC certification for their moms and babies. She also expanded LMDPHW’s WIC program by adding a nutritionist at UofL hospital and is in the process of adding a second nutritionist at Baptist Hospital. These partnerships have enabled the enrollment of babies right in the hospital, limiting exposure for the infant and improving clinic wait times.
She is also building and strengthening relationships with other community partners and other government agencies. One such example is her current work with Louisville Metro Department of Corrections to link incarcerated pregnant women to WIC and Healthy Start upon their release. She serves on the Neighborhood Place Operations Committee, works with the State Fair to implement the Rock N Relax space, and supports both Mamma to Mamma and Healthy Babies Louisville (which has over 100 organization members).
When the pandemic arrived, she spearheaded moving WIC and Healthy Start from in-person participation to telephonic visits for the duration of the pandemic. When the USDA issued a physical presence waiver at the start of the pandemic, she worked with her team to develop processes for her clinics to move their participation virtual telehealth visits. In addition to ensuring the safety of our clients, she also led the efforts to work with the IT department to allow staff to work remotely on a hybrid schedule. This limited the number of staff in the clinic at one time, reducing potential exposure for our staff.
Robin Gillespie, MS, RD, LD, CLS