Federally Qualified Health Centers were one of the first healthcare providers to assess a patient’s Social Determinants of Health and include them in their treatment plans. Drs. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson established the first FQHCs in Dorchester, MA and Mound Bayou, MS as a way to fight poverty and hunger in their communities, because they knew their patients couldn’t get healthy if they were malnourished.
With inflation so high over the last few years, patients have struggled to afford their essentials: food, housing, safety, transportation, etc.
One way to combat food insecurities is to partner with other human service agencies that provide access to healthy food.
Here are some ideas to get patients (and health center staff) easily accessible food, even if their pride would typically stop them from seeking this kind of assistance.
1⃣ Partner with the local food bank to have food boxes available for patients at the health center site. Our health center staff would run a week's worth of food (packed nicely into containers by the food bank) to our rural sites, and patients could pick them up. If you have a pharmacy delivery car, could they drop some food boxes throughout the day?
2⃣ Partner with WIC. Ensure you have a warm handoff process with your county WIC department. You might even make space for their staff to see people at your satellite sites or let them use your conference rooms for educational opportunities with their clients.
3⃣ Write prescriptions for food. FQHCs were among the first healthcare providers to assess a patient's basic needs and include them in their treatment plans. If providers prescribe food and the case managers tell the patient how to get that food, the patient is likely to follow through.
4⃣ Connect seniors to organizations that provide food. Senior centers, Meals on Wheels, and senior caretaker organizations offer excellent services to seniors. Make sure there is a warm handoff for your patients to utilize them.
If we don't address a person's basic needs, that person cannot get healthy. Help your patients access nutritious foods, and their overall health can improve.
This video demonstrates the concept of linking patients to social services to ensure they have the basic resources needed to heal.
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