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Getting To Know Our Providers - Kara Andrew

Kara Andrew, MS, RDN, LDN, DipACLM, ACSM EP: Hello, my name is Kara Andrew. I am the director of Nutrition and Exercise Science Services at Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois.

Many, many years ago, I became a personal trainer while I was at home caring for my young children and really, just was immersed in the fitness field and went on to complete a Bachelor's degree while raising my family, and then went on and pursued a Master's degree in exercise physiology. And I had always been missing the nutrition component.

I was only able to help my clients so much because I couldn't give the specifics about, about what I knew would help them nutritionally. And so then I went and decided to go back. I, took some undergrad courses in nutrition, completed a dietetics internship, and added Registered Dietician to my repertoire.

So I've been a Dietician and an Exercise Physiologist now for about seven years.

So I moved to Carthage, Illinois, just over a year ago from Nashville, Tennessee. And I completed my Bachelor's and my Master's Degree from universities in Nashville. My Bachelor's from Belmont, and my Master's from Lipscomb University.

I was sitting at my computer writing actually a talk for my congregation and an email from our new HR director here, Nat Hall, who had moved here from Alaska, came into my inbox and normally I would've dismissed it once I saw, you know, Carthage, Illinois. I wouldn't have even considered it, but I just was more, I guess in a thoughtful state of mind and I read through it and responded, and over the course of about four months, everything just neatly unfolded so that I, came here about six months after that.

I tend to be a realist. So I understand that all of us struggle in some capacity and that every single person is an individual and what works for one likely won't work for the other. So every single patient I see, I treat with respect and from a place where, you know, I need to learn about them, what will work with their life.

I know many get caught up in following very trendy diets or even in the fitness world, you know, the latest and greatest, the, the quick fix. And it's really just about gradual small changes that can add up to a much better health long term and it that it's sustainable. But, anything that promises quick results likely will only be short-lived.

My true passion is exercise. I absolutely love it. I work out almost every morning. It helps me handle stress. It makes me feel strong, and I do all forms of it. I used to run half marathons with my son, and I hope to get back to that. He unfortunately moved away from me, and now lives in New Orleans.

So I have a son. I am a grandma, so I have a little one year old granddaughter and another one on the way. And then I also have a daughter who is currently living in Germany. So it's just my husband and I right now. We actually just purchased bicycles and we're planning to take up road cycling, so that's going to be our, our new venture since our children are away from us.

This organization is unlike any that I've encountered. It is very innovative. Employees are welcome and expected to come up with new ideas and work to implement them. They are not hypocritical in any sense of the word. We really strive to live our values, our patients' and our, our members'.

One of the things I do is I oversee our fitness facility, Focus Fitness in Carthage. And so those members there, they're at the front. First and foremost, we aim to serve them to our best capacity. And it's just, it's a very supportive and positive environment. Of course there's, you know, always issues that arise, but they're dealt with in a very constructive manner, and it's where anybody, regardless of the position they hold, is valued and respected.