SYRACUSE — St. Joseph’s Health is creating what it calls a Food Farmacy program that seeks to help address food insecurity and to better manager chronic diseases. St. Joseph’s pilot program is made possible by a $500,000 grant from the New York City–based Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, per a news release. The Mother Cabrini Health […]
SYRACUSE — St. Joseph’s Health is creating what it calls a Food Farmacy program that seeks to help address food insecurity and to better manager chronic diseases.
St. Joseph’s pilot program is made possible by a $500,000 grant from the New York City–based Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, per a news release.
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant program aims to support individuals and families who are “at-risk or underserved,” as described in the release. Food insecurity is a measure of the unavailability of food and individuals’ ability to access it.
St. Joseph’s Health cites data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that indicates more than 35 million Americans lived in households that were considered food insecure during 2019. Poor nutrition is a root cause of many chronic diseases, St. Joseph’s Health said.
“We’re excited to implement the Food Farmacy because it will allow us to better support patients who have uncontrolled diabetes by providing them with healthy food as part of their treatment plan,” Deb Mendzef, Food Farmacy coordinator at St. Joseph’s Health, said. “The program helps eliminate barriers to good health by educating patients about the benefits of eating healthy and then providing the healthy food they need to get started on a path to wellness.”
About the program
In the first year of operation, clinicians at St. Joseph’s Primary Care Center-Main will refer patients to the program.
Once enrolled, the patients will take part in a program where they will receive nutritional counseling from a registered dietitian and participate in diabetes self-management classes with St. Joseph’s Family Medicine resident physicians. A hospital pharmacist will also provide medication-management support.
Most importantly, participants will also receive, at no cost, fresh and healthy food (including recipes) for two meals per day, five days per week, for the entire time they participate in the program, the release stated.
The meals are not only provided for participants, but also for the other members in their household (up to six individuals, including the patient).
“Food insecurity is a predictor of health and is linked to many chronic diseases. We are proud that we will be able to ensure that these patients, and their family members, have the resources necessary to provide a quality and healthy diet,” Mendzef said.
The nonprofit Mother Cabrini Health Foundation says it works to “improve the health and well-being of the vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.”
