There is a new face walking the halls of D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital – nutritionist Stephanie Ball.
Originally from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Ball came to Brewton in February from Navarre, Fla. A 15-year veteran of the field, Ball earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She began as a long-term care nurse for the mentally-challenged, but like many others, changed her path after Hurricane Katrina.
“I thought then it would be a good time for a job change because I had no home,” she said. The recovery process took Bell to north Mississippi and a job in a dialysis corporation – and even a stint as menu inspector for the prison system.
Ball said she chose nutrition as a career after getting services through the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program.
“I thought I could do it and better,” she said. “I was just trying to lose some weight after my pregnancy and wanted to improve in other areas. I got a little deeper in it and saw how nutrition helped so many other areas. I saw that USM had a program, and I went there.”
Ball, who is also a certified diabetes educator, said she sees a variety of patients at DWM.
“I work with the older and elderly people by looking at their diagnosis to see what I need to follow up on,” she said. “I also work with outpatient patients; patients on the floor and then any scheduled outpatient that we have. I also like to work with moms that are breastfeeding.”
Ball said the most rewarding and enjoyable part about her job is watching her patients improve.
“When you see a diabetic and their blood sugar has improved, that is rewarding,” Ball said. “It is good to see that the intervention was effective and they applied what you taught them.”
Ball is in Brewton on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. To schedule an outpatient consultation, call 251.809.8374. Patients must have a referral from a doctor for insurance purposes.