S. Annie Klapheke is a registered dietitian for the Good Samaritan Free Health Center in Price Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Healthy Improvements: S. Annie Klapheke journeys with clients to a healthier lifestyle By Erin Reder
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itting on S. Annie Klapheke’s desk at the Good Samaritan Free Health Center in Cincinnati, is a picture of S. Anthony O’Connell, the heroic Civil War nurse and Sister of Charity who spent more than 20 years assisting the poor and sick at Good Samaritan Hospital. The photograph serves as a reminder to S. Annie of the Sisters of Charity’s long legacy in health care, one that she carries forward in her present ministry as a registered dietitian at the clinic. Much like S. Anthony, S. Annie brings compassion and understanding to her patients. The clinic is an outpatient office for adults (18 and older) who have no health insurance; all services offered are free. S. Annie provides one-on-one nutrition counseling for patients with any dietrelated diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obesity. An initial appointment begins with explaining to her patients why they need nutrition counseling and learning more about the patient’s normal eating habits. Once she has a better understanding of the patient and their routines, she then tries to meet them where they are at, adjusting their meals to make them healthier and offering suggestions of how to tweak their habits. S. Annie’s interest in nutrition came after receiving her bachelor of science in biology from the University of 12
Dayton. “At first I thought I wanted to be a high school science teacher,” she said. “I love to teach and enjoy giving instruction, but there were things about the traditional classroom setting that I couldn’t see myself doing long term. There were two things that I loved about studying biology – studying the natural environment and ecology, and studying human physiology and learning how the human body works. Looking back now I see how nutrition unites the two things.” It was during a year of volunteer work that a housemate and nurse friend helped S. Annie to realize her passion. During their many conversations over health and food and cooking, she decided to go back to school to study nutrition and dietetics. S. Annie enrolled in the graduate program at The Ohio State University to receive her master of science in human nutrition while also doing the required course work to become a dietitian. She became a registered dietitian in 2013. It was during this time that she also began to discern religious life, moving to Anthony, New Mexico in 2014 to begin her year of Affiliation. Keeping her career close in various formation experiences, S. Annie eventually came to the Good Samaritan Free Health Center as a volunteer. Her passion for the ministry and her patients led to the organization securing the funding to hire her as a full-time staff member in 2017.
The clinic only sees uninsured patients. Many may have I n te r com
