CHOC Children’s Food and Nutrition Department is responsible for food services for all patients, staff and visitors to the hospital and provides nutrition care, lactation support, and in- and outpatient education.

Our clinical registered dieticians provide medical nutrition therapy including assessment, care planning and education of patients, including those who may be high-risk or have multiple diagnoses. Diet technicians provide screening for all neonatal patients within 24 hours of admission and perform screenings for any other patients considered to be at high nutritional risk. We develop and implement individualized plans of care and provide monitoring and reassessment as needed.

Our team also features a Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC) available for routine consultation for all patients. In the NICU, the CLC reviews all admissions to determine intervention and support needs. We are proud that CHOC’s NICU is almost exclusively utilizing human milk for infant feedings.

Members of our team provide education programs to departmental staff, nursing, ancillary and medical staff, as well to as students of affiliated programs and community organizations. We also participate in in-service education, competency training and outside education to ensure that our staff is up-to-date on current topics and procedures.