Providing individualized nutritional care in a state institution for the mentally retarded.

The dietary department at Fernald is responsible for providing quality nutritional care to 900 residents with varying dietary needs. Faced with a complex food service system, a diverse population, and an objective to provide quality nutritional care to all the clients, the dietary department assigns each of 7 dietitians the clinical responsibility for approximately 125 to 130 clients housed in several residential buildings. The dietitians' primary responsibilities are clinical. As a liaison between the residential buildings and the dietary department, the dietitians provide important feedback to the food service director on acceptability of menu items. Inservice training of staff is also provided as needed.