Health Education Initiative Teaches Participants the Ease of Eating Well
Food lovers can tickle their taste buds when healthy cooking classes continue through March at Carthage Area Hospital.
The two-hour classes are taught in a fun, hands-on, small-group setting and are health-focused. Students will learn to prepare delicious lower-calorie meals that emphasize quality, heart-healthy nutrition and affordable ingredients.
Registered Dietitian Susie K. Ray, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, CDE, will teach four weekly classes in March from 4 to 6 p.m. at the hospital’s main campus, 1001 West St., Carthage.
“Cooking should be an easy and fun experience, not a complicated daily chore,” Ray said. “Participants will learn the health benefits of quality, affordable ingredients while preparing meals to take home and eat.”
On Thursday, March 8, a free children’s cooking class is slated for youths age 12 and older. Students will learn how to make a healthy homemade marinara and zucchini noodles recipe to take home. Parents must sign a waiver, granting children permission to participate. A second children’s cooking class for ages 4 to 11 is set for Thursday, March 29. Students will prepare homemade marinara and zucchini noodles to take home. Each student must be accompanied by a parent for this class.
On Thursday, March 15, the hospital will host an adult cooking class. Participants will prepare a chicken pesto and zucchini noodles dish to take home. A second adult cooking class is set for Monday, March 19, when participants will prepare salmon cakes with stir fry vegetables to take home.
Adult cooking classes are $10 and include all materials and food. To register, call 315-519-5589, email skim@cahny.org, or visit carthagehospital.com/cookingclasses. Participants must pay a week in advance to hold a spot in class.
Carthage Area Hospital’s Nutrition Services
Carthage Hospital’s team of Registered Dietitians guide patients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They offer a personalized approach to meet individual nutrition needs and create eating plans that are easy to follow and monitor.
The hospital’s dietitians are food and nutrition experts who provide medical nutrition therapy and nutrition education for a wide range of medical conditions, including: diabetes, weight management, obesity, eating disorders, food allergies and nutritional support, among others.
Registered Dietitians are available to meet patients at the hospital’s main campus, 1001 West St., as well as in outpatient clinics by appointment. Call 315-493-1000, and ask for the Nutrition Department to schedule an appointment.
About the Instructor
Susan “Susie” K. Ray is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Board Certified Nutrition Support Clinician who joined the Carthage Area Hospital’s Clinical Nutrition team in January 2017. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She earned a Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Colorado State University. Susie is a Denver, Colo., native who moved to the North Country in 2016 with her husband, Dr. Damian Ray, a family medicine physician who practices in Watertown. She provides nutritional services in the hospital and the community. Outside of work, Susie enjoys gardening, animals, traveling, cooking and baking and has a knack for arts and crafts.
About Carthage Area Hospital
Carthage Area Hospital was established as a not-for-profit rural community hospital in 1965. It operates today as a fully accredited 25-bed Critical Access Hospital, serving approximately 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties. The hospital formed a clinical affiliation with Crouse Health, Syracuse, in 2017.
The hospital also operates a network of community-based clinics, including its Family Health Center, Pediatric Clinic and Women’s Way to Wellness and provides a range of specialty care, including general surgery, orthopedics, urology, neurosurgical care, physical therapy and behavioral health.