BRIDGTON – The American Dietetic Association will celebrate its first Registered Dietitian Day on Monday, March 10. Bridgton Hospital has on its staff registered dietitian, Linda Russell, RD/LD, and is recognizing her service to inpatients and outpatients, using her nutrition expertise to help individuals make positive lifestyle changes.

The association encourages consumers to mark National Nutrition Month and the Registered Dietitian Day by establishing an ongoing relationship with a food and nutrition expert, a registered dietitian.

Through annual visits for a nutrition check-up, individuals can obtain dietary advice and guidance based on their health needs. Most health insurance plans cover the services of a registered dietitian.

Russell joined the Bridgton Hospital professional staff in 1999. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a master of arts degree in nutrition, and completed her internship as an undergraduate at the University of Texas in a coordinated undergraduate program in dietetics. She has been a registered dietitian since 1981 and has been a licensed dietitian in the state since 1989.

She provides outpatient medical nutrition therapy with referral from providers in the service area. She also serves as a consultant dietitian to SunBridge Care and Rehab in North Conway, N.H., and the Casco Inn Residential Care Facility.

Russell was born and raised in Asuncion, Paraguay, where her parents are missionaries. Fluent in Spanish and knowledgeable of Portuguese, she resides in Fryeburg with her husband, Elbridge, and three children.

An active community member, she volunteers with Boy Scout Troop 155 as committee chairwoman and serves as a trustee of the First Congregational Church of Fryeburg and as Mission Committee chairwoman. She is a volunteer at the Brownfield Food Pantry and Project Graduation at Fryeburg Academy. Hobbies include cooking and gardening and she does an annual exhibit at the Fryeburg Fair.

For more information, call Russell at Bridgton Hospital, 647-6000.