First Commuity Antioch Baptist Church is having a Diabetes Support Group meeting, today, 9 a.m. at 10860 Highway 3125, Lutcher. The guest speaker will be Kourtney Wingate.

Wingate is the wife of Julian B. Wingate and the mother of Bailyn Wingate 2, and the stepmother of Jaylon Wingate, 13 and Jasmine Wingate,12. She is a 2001 graduate of Lutcher High School and a 2005 graduate of Southern University and A&M College with a degree in human nutrition.

After graduation, Wingate was accepted into Southern University’s internship program where she completed a nine-months intense internship program that led to her passing the Louisiana Dietetic Examination resulting in her receiving registration and licensure to practice nutrition consulting in Louisiana. Wingate is currently working on a Master of Public Health with Walcfen University.

Wingate is currently employed with St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales as the outpatient dietitian and provides nutritional consultations for individuals who are interested in weight loss surgery, general weight loss, correcting current metabolic disorders such as high cholesterol or diabetes or modifying food behaviors that can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Currently, Wingate also works as an inpatient dietitian at St. James and River Parishes hospitals as needed. Prior to working with St. Elizabeth Hospital, she worked as an inpatient dietitian with West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero and for Pinnacle Home Health. She also serves as a BodyWorks trainer at St. Elizabeth, where she teaches adolescent girls ages 9-13 and their caregivers/parents about the importance of healthy eating habits and regular physical activities. She is an active member of the American Dietetic Association.