Purpose: Primary health care (PHC) reform, especially efforts to implement interdisciplinary teams, has implications for dietetic practice. A consistent, clear vision of the registered dietitian's (RD's) role in PHC is needed to develop a successful advocacy agenda.

Methods: The Dietitians of Canada (DC) Central and Southern Ontario Primary Health Care Action Group organized a four-step process to engage dietitians in developing an advocacy agenda for RD PHC services in Ontario. Two facilitated workshops brought together dietitian opinion leaders to enhance the understanding of current roles, find common ground, and develop a shared vision. All DC members were invited to review the draft vision, and feedback was integrated into a revised vision.

Results: Registered dietitians saw PHC reform through many lenses, and were uncertain about how reforms would affect their practices. In a national review, the majority of reviewers (approximately 85% of 270) supported the draft vision; additional clarity was needed on resources and the breadth of services that RDs would provide. Conclusion: Development of a PHC vision for RDs should be helpful in advocating for dietitian services in PHC.

(Can J Diet Prac Res 2006;67 Suppl:S54-S57)

Résumé

Objectif. La réforme des soins de santé primaires (SSP), notamment les initiatives de mise sur pied d'équipes interdisciplinaires, a des répercussions sur la pratique diététique. Il faut définir de façon claire et cohérente le rôle de la diététiste professionnelle (DP) dans les SSP afin d'élaborer un programme d'intervention fructueux.

Méthodes. Les Diététistes du Canada (DC), par l'entremise du groupe d'action des soins de santé primaires pour le centre et le sud de l'Ontario, ont organisé un processus en quatre étapes pour inciter les diététistes à élaborer un programme d'intervention en matière de SSP. Deux ateliers dirigés ont rassemblé des diététistes guides d'opinion afin d'approfondir les rôles actuels, trouver un terrain d'entente et élaborer une position commune. Tous les membres des DC ont été invités à évaluer le projet et les réactions ont été intégrées à la version finale.

Résultats. Les diététistes professionnelles envisageaient les SSP sous différents angles et se demandaient de quelle façon les réformes toucheraient leur pratique. Sur le plan national, la majorité (environ 85 % de 270) appuyaient le projet de position; des éclaircissements supplémentaires ont été nécessaires quant aux ressources et à la gamme des services que les DP dispenseraient.

Conclusion. L'élaboration d'une position doit être utile pour faire valoir les services diététiques en matière de SSP.

(Rev can prat rech diétét 2006;67 Suppl:S54-S57)

INTRODUCTION

Primary health care (PHC) reform is seen as crucial to the renewal and long-term sustainability of the Canadian health care system (1). The First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal 2003 (2) reiterated PHC as a priority, and placed particular focus on increasing access and building PHC teams that include a range of health professionals. In addition, $800 million was invested in Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund to support one-time initiatives for transition (3). Different provinces have taken different approaches in using these funds, but opportunities are increasing for RDs to participate as members of interdisciplinary teams in diabetes care, community health, and care for older adults.

In 2004, the Dietitians of Canada (DC) Central and Southern Ontario Primary Health Care Action Group (CSO-PHCAG), which was initiated in 2000, recognized the need to develop the advocacy agenda further. To further this goal, the CSO-PHCAG completed a vision development exercise.

METHODS

In March and November 2004, the CSO-PHCAG invited Ontario stakeholders and opinion leaders from all sectors of dietetics to meet to discuss the advocacy agenda for PHC nutrition services. Discussing the variety of settings in which RDs currently provide PHC, reviewing position roles and responsibilities to find common ground, and articulating a snared vision were some of the key activities.

A purposive sample of educators, regulators, and RDs from diverse practice settings across Ontario was invited to attend one or both of two facilitated five-hour workshops. A professional facilitator led the group through structured conversation, small group discussions, and plenary sessions (Table 1). Twenty-three people participated in the first workshop in Guelph, Ontario, to describe PHC, to define the RD's role in PHC, and to articulate how health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment come together within a reformed PHC system. A recorder was present to document the details of this session, and flip charts from each group captured the discussion points. In a second workshop in Toronto, Ontario, ten of this group, joined by five additional RDs, continued this work to articulate a clearer vision of PHC dietetic practice. One participant acted as the minute-taker. Following the sessions, the recorder and die minute-taker summarized the data, and minutes were shared with the group.

DeWITT - A family-owned limousine and taxi company has bought a new building with an eye toward expansion.

Bellavia Transportation, Inc. bought a 10,000-square-foot building at 5948 Butternut Drive on Aug. 30 for $275,000 , according to the company. The building is adjacent to the company's current headquarters at 5952 Butternut Drive.

"It really is the most ideal location," says Ramona Bellavia, a spokeswoman for Bellavia Transportation who owns the company along with her husband Antonio. "There's nowhere else I would want to go. We didn't want the business to be in two separate locations that were very far away from each other.

"It's harder to run back and forth to two different places."

The company is housing its fleet of eight limos in the new building. The firm needed the extra space because of growth in its limo and taxi business, Bellavia says.

Currently, the new space is simply a place to store the limos and keep them out of the weather. Eventually, however, the firm's entire limo staff will move to the new building and operate there, Bellavia says. The firm employs 19; 11 on the taxi side and six on the limo side. Bellavia and her husband are involved with both portions of the company, she says.

The company started with taxis 12 years ago and moved into the limo business about seven years ago.

"It was something my husband wanted to try," Bellavia says. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

She attributes the company's growth to the environment.

"We want people to be happy," she says. "When people are happy, everything grows through word of mouth. That's the best advertising you can get."

The Bellavias' four daughters also work with the company. They range in age from 17 to 22.

Bellavia was not sure when the limo operations will move to the new building. The building was an empty warehouse before the company bought it and it needs some renovating before employees can work there.

Bellavia says her company will spend at least $50,000 upgrading the building. Planned renovations. include a new overhead door, plumbing improvements, walls, and flooring.

Family will probably do much of the work, she says.

"If there's a Bellavia who has a spare hour, you would probably be able to find them here working," she says.

Bellavia was not sure how many taxis the company has. Its drivers lease the cars from the company, she explains. She also declined to comment on the company's annual revenue or profit.

The Butternut location is the company's - fourth. The business began 9 the Bellavias' home.

NAI Pyramid Brokerage Company brokered the sale of the new building to Bellavia. Michael Tormey was the previous owner.

NEW YORK -- Home Depot has opened a second showcase store in Manhattan that mimics features of an earlier New York City location, offers unique elements to serve a home decorator audience and adapts store layout to cope with its unique site.

With a greater emphasis on service, clinics for potential DIYers, home decorating and convenience categories such as cleaning, the Manhattan Home Depots are tailored to their environment, but they also are learning labs in their own right. "We can take the concept and adapt and evolve it to any of our urban markets and our non-urban markets as well," John Farugia, regional vp, mid-Atlantic operations, told DSN Retailing Today. "A lot of the elements that we have here we can use from a go-forward standpoint."

Home Depot is taking lessons learned in its various urban stores, such as those in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Chicago's Lincoln Park, and developing new variations on its format appropriate to various circumstances. In some instances a standard store may not be right, but one of its Expo Design Centers might not be appropriate either. The new Home Depot, located on 59th Street and Third Avenue, has many of the same features and amenities that the retailer debuted at its first store in Manhattan, which operates on 23rd Street, including a doorman and a concierge desk. Yet differences are apparent. For one thing, the store customizes services to meet the needs of interior designers, for whom the neigborhood is nicknamed Designers' Row.

When customers walk into the new 59th Street Home Depot, they'll be met with an "urban theater" scene featuring two actors posing as a young, apartment-dwelling couple. Surrounded by a lit mural of the Manhattan skyline, the couple will perform a series of home renovation projects--plastering, painting and installing wood floors--on their one-bedroom, pre-war-style apartment.

The urban theater is one of many distinctions for the 108,000-square-foot store. "The new 59th Street store embodies the spirit of Manhattan and is designed to inspire our customers by helping them see the potential to improve their urban spaces," said Tom Taylor, Home Depot Eastern division president.

This "potential" includes Dinovo custom cabinetry imported from Italy, a product line not carried by any other Home Depot. The high-end cabinets promise to turn any brownstone's cooking area into a gourmet chef's dream--for a large coin. Dinovo kitchens range between $35,000 and $500,000.

Home Depot is still a newcomer to Manhattan, having opened its first store here Sept. 8. But that 105,000-square-foot, multi-storied building already has exceeded the company's expectations. "Even with the success of the 23rd Street store under our belt, it is important that we continue to innovate our stores and bring our products to life in new and exciting ways," Taylor said.

Home Depot introduced its gargantuan motorized "spider" racking system for large area rugs in its first Manhattan store. But two spiders are better than one in the ease of 59th Street. The paint department here has been bulked up as well. A total of 11 mixers are in place to send customers home with any of a possible 3,260 color options, provided by Glidden, Behr and Disney Color by Behr.

The store has the look and feel of a roller coaster, where customers descend to a mezzanine level that houses large appliances, kitchens and high-end baths. From there, a second staircase dips down to a racetrack layout and spins shoppers around the retailer's core assortment: tools, hardware, cleaning products, paints, faucets, storage, green goods and a locksmith who is on-call 24 hours a day.

Hurried Manhattanites can hit the streets quickly with their purchases at any of the 29 checkout stations (including six self-checkouts), before riding an elevator back to street level. Recognizing that time is money, especially in New York, Home Depot installed point-of-sale stations throughout the store. A total of 10 locations, in departments from decor to kitchens to flooring to lighting and at the pro desk, will accept credit cards and checks (but no cash) so customers can get in and out in a New York minute.

Like the 23rd Street store, this location will feature green goods, same-day delivery service, a concierge desk at its entrance, doormen hailing cabs and live clinics that will be simulcast throughout the store from an on-site studio. In fact, clinics at both Manhattan stores will be synchronized to the same project and times.

CLIFTON, N.J. -- Linens 'N Things has named Jane Gilmartin evp and chief merchandising officer. Gilmartin, who was senior vp, gmm of dd's Discount, a division of Ross Stores, will report directly to Jack Moore, Linens 'N Things president and coo.

Norman Axelrod, Linens 'N Things chairman and ceo, noted that Gilmartin had been company vp of merchandising with responsibility for the "things" side of the business in the late 1990s, and did stints at Service Merchandise and Bed Bath & Beyond in senior roles before taking the position at Ross Stores.

Axelrod told DSN Retailing Today that, after an extensive search, Gilmartin stood out in terms of the focus she brings to the role of cmo at Linens 'N Things. "We talked to a lot of people," he said. "We think that there are a lot of good managers out there, and there are a lot of good strategic thinkers. But I thought that Jane, far and away, is the best combination of merchant and visionary. Jane's focus is on product, product, product, and that's the best person."

Moore stated, "Jane is a strong leader and merchant who will not only assist me with the merchandising side of the business by focusing on content, trend merchandising and brand building, but will also extend and broaden our ability to lead the organization and drive consistency." In a research note, Joan Storms, a Wedbush Morgan analyst, said, "Filling the new cmo position should jumpstart new trend-right merchandising strategy. While Jack Moore has made good progress with formulating the overall merchandising vision toward a more fashion-forward product offering, we believe the hiring of Gilmartin should solidify the merchandising organization.

"In addition, we should see improved execution with regard to executing the merchandise transition with additional management support. Although the last couple of quarters have been disappointing, we remain optimistic for Linens 'N Things to execute the holiday season and complete the merchandise transition in time for 2006."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

1-58017-586-4

The fence bible; how to plan, install, and build fences and gates to meet every home style and property need, no matter what size your yard.

Beneke, Jeff.

Beneke overviews the purposes that fences can serve, from animal control to settling boundary disputes. This home improvement expert offers tips for staking out one's home turf by building various types of gates and fences--including living ones. With color photos and diagrams, he provides clear advice on field research, design, tools, materials, and construction. The guide includes a style gallery feature.