Healthier Communities Initiative Spotlight
Stepping up to curb food insecurity
CommonSpirit Health is focused on helping communities achieve health equity by addressing the root causes of inequities and eliminating structural and systemic barriers to health.
To advance this Healthier Communities initiative, CommonSpirit Health Foundation works alongside donors and partner organizations to help the most vulnerable individuals in the most impacted communities by addressing the social determinants of health (SDOHs), including housing, education, jobs, the environment and food insecurity.
One example of this work in the Denver area, is partnership that strives to improve health outcomes by addressing hunger within communities. CommonSpirit St. Anthony North Hospital in Westminster, CO came together with Food Bank of the Rockies in October 2023 to establish a food insecurity program.
“Both organizations recognized the links between food security and health, with one in nine Colorado residents experiencing food insecurity,” explains Monica Buhlig, Chief Impact Officer, Food Bank of the Rockies. “CommonSpirit envisions a healthier future for all, is driven by innovation and is powered by humanity. Similarly, Food Bank’s mission is to ignite the power of community to nourish people experiencing hunger. Both organizations share a commitment to innovation.”
This is a model that extends beyond traditional health care practices and one that can be felt by our patients. This partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies is truly innovative and has been really impactful. We are excited to see how it might grow in the future.
— Jessie Thurber-Dean,
Chief Nursing Officer at St. Anthony North
The Food for Health Program is an innovative solution, igniting the power of partnership to address food insecurity. By nourishing those experiencing hunger, we are improving health outcomes of those served by CommonSpirit Health.
Food Bank provides a variety of ways to reach people experiencing hunger with nourishing foods, including the Food for Health Program, which integrates home delivery of nourishing food boxes that are heart healthy, diabetes-friendly and culturally inclusive, including fresh produce, delivered weekly for one year. Patients and their families are also provided with SNAP enrollment assistance, nutrition education, recipes and connections to Hunger Relief Partners, such as food pantries, within the community. Since the partnership began, it has served 75 St. Anthony North patients screened as positive for food insecurity and with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, pre-diabetes, type 2 Diabetes and/or hypertension.
“The partnership has improved the health of those people enrolled in the program by either maintaining or improving health status, improving food security and increasing knowledge about the links between nutrition and health,” says Buhlig. “Older adults experiencing food insecurity are more likely to have experienced a heart attack. Those experiencing food insecurity have a greater chance of developing diabetes. Research like this, and St. Anthony North Hospital’s commitment to listening to community, led to food insecurity and access to healthy affordable foods as priorities within their Community Health Needs Assessment.”
Paul Ross, Vice President of Philanthropy, Mountain Region, Commonspirit Health, adds “The healthcare sector is increasing awareness about the importance of addressing the social determinants of health. Yet, many healthcare organizations are still trying to determine their role and how they partner with community-based organizations to address SDOHs. Our partnership is a model for other hospitals, health care organizations and food banks to follow suit and grow the momentum of strong health-community partnerships to support the health of people within and outside of clinical settings.”
Together, Commonspirit and Food Bank are collaborating to assure that no patient experiencing hunger falls through the cracks between clinics and community. CommonSpirit health providers are demonstrating humanity and caring for those they serve by integrating screening for hunger into their practices. CommonSpirit is now considering expanding the current partnership to other area hospitals.
“This is a model that extends beyond traditional health care practices and one that can be felt by our patients,” adds Jessie Thurber-Dean, Chief Nursing Officer at St. Anthony North. “This partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies is truly innovative and has been really impactful. We are excited to see how it might grow in the future.”
Learn more about support efforts like this with a gift to CommonSpirit Health Foundation's Healthier Communities Initiative.
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