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Food Access Program Helps Patients with Chronic Conditions

Food insecurity worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially problematic for patients with chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. When people do not know when or where they will eat their next meal, finding food often takes priority over managing their health. 

To increase access to food, Westside Family Healthcare in Delaware piloted a program called Feeding Families. The program supports the health of families who screened positive for food insecurity and have at least one family member with a chronic disease. For one full year, 50 families received fresh food weekly from a home-delivery service and met virtually with a Westside nutritionist and social service coordinator to receive customized education, cooking tools, and recipes. Preliminary findings from an evaluation by the University of Delaware Center for Research in Education and Social Policy show those participants overall have better access to food, healthier eating habits, and reduced chronic disease. 

“Focusing on food insecurity and the factors that contribute to illness, or the social determinants of health, has always been the mission of community health centers like Westside,” said Megan Werner, M.D., MPH, Associate Medical Director of Population Health and Quality at Westside. Our care teams can support patients with chronic disease using virtual interventions tailored to unique cultural, social, and health needs.” Read more about the program in their Impact Brief (PDF - 770 KB)