EatRight Ontario phone line will no longer connect Northerners with dietitians

Northern Ontarians will no longer have easy access to a dietitian when EatRight Ontario is disconnected at the end of this month.

EatRight Ontario was a phone line created ten years ago for people to call a dietitian directly. It grew to include an e-mail contact and a website, all operated by the Dietitians of Canada with provincial funding.

That funding is being cut as of March 31.

In a letter from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to the Dietitians of Canada a year ago, it said the move was a cost-saving measure, and that the ministry would "consolidate all telephone counselling/support services."

In a call to a ministry spokesperson this week, there was no information on when such a hub of consolidated telephone health services might launch.

The Dietitians of Canada said dietitians at EatRight Ontario fielded approximately 20,000 calls and emails from Ontarians each year.

Spokeswoman Kate Comeau said on a population basis, the north had about 94 contacts per 100,000 population versus the provincial average of 85 contacts per 100,000 population

In an email , Comeau said it's not known what comes next.

 "We have no further details on Ministry plans. We have expressed the need for Ontarians to have easy access to credible nutrition advice and that this advice needs to be provided by a qualified and regulated practitioner," she said.

A nutritionist with Sudbury Public Health said the service was popular — and needed — in the north.

"Having someone to call, and speak to, navigate through the information whether it be online or what your family members may be sharing just adds an excellent support for people so they know that they can speak to someone trained to be a registered dietitian," said Bridget King

The service will be disconnected as of March 31.