Browsing by Subject "food insecurity"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Addressing Food Insecurity: Lessons Learned from Co-Locating a Food Pantry with a Federally Qualified Health Center
    (Ubiquity Press, 2022-09-30) Reinoso, Deanna; Haut, Dawn; Claffey, Stephen; Hahn Keiner, Kathy; Chavez, Alejandra; Nace, Nicole; Carter, Amy; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, contribute to chronic health conditions, decreased quality of life, and health disparities. Increasingly, healthcare systems seek to address social determinants of health by integrating medical and social care. Description: Eskenazi Health Center Pecar is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing comprehensive primary care to vulnerable patients in Indianapolis, IN, USA. This health center, in coalition with community partners, established and continually developed an integrated food pantry model to address food insecurity, improve nutrition education, and support patient access to healthy food. Discussion: Food insecurity and poor nutrition are common in primary care and contribute to the incidence and outcomes of chronic conditions such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Long-term management of food assistance and nutrition programs requires substantial resources, partnerships, and leadership. We describe lessons learned in food pantry partnership, funding, logistics, and sustainability in a collaborative food access model integrated into healthcare. These lessons learned can be utilized by other health systems to scale up and accelerate strategies to better address food security and nutrition education. This paper articulates best practices for integrating a food pantry model within primary care with the goal of long-term sustainability and direct impact on patient health outcomes.
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    Exploring spatial allocation techniques for the placement of food pantries: Madison County, Indiana
    (2017-02-01) Ashraf, Maria; Banerjee, Aniruddha; Wilson, Jeffery S.; Dwyer, Owen J.; Lulla, Vijay
    The thesis highlights the effectiveness of using location allocation model to find the optimum location of food pantries such that it serves maximum food insecure households. Since most households do not have personal means of transportation, the model makes sure that the food pantries are accessible at a walkable distance from the households. To reduce the shortage of food that the food pantries often face, the pantries are located near the food rescue sites like grocery stores, restaurants and institutional canteens. In this way, extra edible food with myriad choices can be diverted to the food insecure population at a walkable distance . Reducing food loss and food insecurity helps us move towards a better , more sustainable future.
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    Food insecurity in Indiana (2024)
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, 2024-10-04) Eckert, Marissa; Rapolu, Sreemayi; Gomez, Cecilia; Mullin, Hannah; Bow, Brendan; Schultz, Kristi; Menard, Claire; Van Allen, Elizabeth J.; Vargas, Emanuel
    Food insecurity is a public health concern affecting Hoosiers’ well-being and their ability to contribute effectively to their work and society. In 2022, more than 950,000 Hoosiers struggled to access nutritious food, often due to a lack of adequate or stable income. Food insecurity leads to hunger, malnutrition, and increased risks for chronic diseases. Socially, food insecurity reduces people’s cognitive ability by making it more difficult to concentrate and work effectively. Legislation strengthening funding for the availability of and access to fresh food and assistance programs are positive ways to address food insecurity in Indiana.
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    Relationship between Pantry Characteristics and Clientele Transportation when Accessing Food Resources in St. Joseph County and Surrounding Areas
    (2023-11-09) Stone, Jackson; Bales, John; Harris, Jonathan; Lassen, David
    Food insecurity affects approximately 13% of the total population in St. Joseph County. To address this need, various food pantries and soup kitchens have been established by local community organizations. The advent of COVID-19, among other economic instabilities, exacerbated many health disparities within our community and further strained many already overstretched local nonprofits. In a survey of 10 local organizations from June to July 2023, we attempt to characterize the experiences and obstacles faced by pantry clients and directors (474 clients and 65 directors surveyed). An unexpected trend appeared as transportation means of clients was gathered: 84% of surveyed clients utilized pantries by car. Furthermore, some pantries were accessed almost exclusively by automobile, while others saw greater traffic from those walking, biking, and bussing. Clearly, means of transportation played a significant role in determining where individuals sought food aid. To explain these observed differences, we evaluate the relationships between transportation and pantry schedule, pantry location relative to bus lines, client choice in food selection, and provision of on-site meals. Our results indicate that the number of adjacent bus lines and distance to the nearest bus stop affect means of transportation to pantries (p<0.001). Furthermore, the presence of on-site meals, operation hours, and service use limits are tied to clients’ transportation method (p<0.001). To ensure equitable access and efficient food distribution, a continued focus on infrastructure and its alignment with pantry accessibility remains a critical aspect to address in the future.