Choptank Health Welcomes New School-Based Providers in Caroline County
Choptank Community Health System has recently welcomed registered dietitian nutritionist Melanie Dressler, MS, RD, LD, and licensed certified social worker-clinical Kayla Smith, LCSW-C, to its school-based health centers serving Caroline County Public Schools.
Melanie Dressler, MS, RD, LD, has joined Choptank Health’s Caroline County school-based health team as a registered dietitian nutritionist. She brings extensive experience in school nutrition programs and clinical wellness education.
Dressler joins the Caroline school-based team as a dietitian, bringing decades of experience in clinical nutrition, wellness programming, and child nutrition services. She is a nationally board-certified registered dietitian licensed in Maryland.
Dressler most recently served as a K-12 dietitian with Sodexo Food Service, where she monitored school menus and food service practices to meet federal and state USDA Child Nutrition Program guidelines across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region.
She has extensive experience collaborating with medical and nutrition staff on diet modifications for students and preparing school systems for state administrative reviews and inspections.
Her career also includes leadership roles with the U.S. Air Force, where she directed wellness programs serving large base populations and provided nutrition counseling and education to service members and families.
Dressler earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Nutrition with honors from Pennsylvania State University, completed the United States Air Force Dietetic Internship Program, and earned a Master of Science in Health and Sport Science from the University of Oklahoma.
Kayla Smith, LCSW-C, has joined the Caroline County school-based behavioral health team at Choptank Health. Choptank Health’s School-Based Health Centers offer a range of integrated behavioral health supports for students and their families, with more information at www.choptankhealth.org/schoolbased.
Smith joins the Caroline school-based behavioral health team as a licensed certified social worker-clinical. She brings experience providing outpatient and school-based mental health services to children, adolescents, adults, and families.
Smith most recently worked as a private practice therapist, managing a caseload of children, teens, and families and using evidence-based approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, play therapy, and strengths-based treatment.
She previously served as a full-time school-based therapist, providing individual, family, and group therapy services and collaborating closely with school staff to support student well-being.
She earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Baltimore and a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Services from Towson University.
Choptank Health’s school-based health centers provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and nutrition services to students during the school year and throughout the summer months, ensuring continuity of care when school is not in session.
Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, serving more than 30,000 adults and children. This includes school-based health services in all five counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for everyone.
New medical patients and school-based health center student registrants are welcome at all Choptank Health locations and Mid-Shore school systems. For more information, visit www.choptankhealth.org.