Optimizing Mental Health Outcomes Through Nutrition Integration
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET
Description:
Explore how integrated primary care teams can strengthen chronic disease care by including nutrition services in the clinical workflows of mental health and substance use providers. Participants will gain practical insights from health center peers to build effective referral pathways, enhance team communication, and improve whole‑person care.
Mental health and substance use professionals may earn 1.0 continuing education (CE) credit hour for attending this webinar.
Objectives:
Participants in this webinar will be able to:
- Describe a systems approach to integrating nutrition services into the management of mental health disorders and chronic conditions in integrated care settings.
- Identify operational strategies for collaboration among primary care providers, registered dietitians/registered dietitian nutritionists (RDs/RDNs), and mental health and substance use clinicians to support behavior change in patients with chronic conditions.
- Apply practical insights from health center examples to incorporate nutrition services into clinical workflows.
Presenters:

Laura Ross, MS, LMFT, CCTP, CTMH is a Technical Expert Lead for JBS International, Inc. and a senior clinician and executive leader in behavioral health for over 25 years. Her current work employs an interdisciplinary approach to integrating behavioral health into traditionally medically based health care systems and settings. She has experience directing state and federal grants (Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)) utilizing evidence-based and patient-directed practices in the provision of telehealth and in-person behavioral health and medical care settings. She currently consults for organizations of all sizes, providing training and technical assistance on rural behavioral telehealth integration and primary care and behavioral health integration.

Jennifer Wright, MS, RD/LDN, CDCES is a registered dietician and certified diabetes care and education specialist for MedLink Georgia. With more than seven years of experience with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and expertise in personalized nutrition planning, wellness education, creating balanced meals, and promoting healthy lifestyle habits, Jennifer helps individuals achieve their health goals through evidence-based strategies. She is passionate about making nutrition practical and accessible, tailoring recommendations to fit diverse needs and preferences.
Continuing Education (CE):
- We offer mental health and substance use disorder health continuing education credits for participation in mental health/substance use disorder integration technical assistance events.
- You must attend the event and complete the online Health Center TA Satisfaction Assessment after the event (2-3 minutes).
- A link to the Health Center TA Satisfaction Assessment will be provided at the end of the session.
- CE certificates will be sent within 5 weeks of the event from the technical assistance team.

Slides
