New healthcare program will screen for food insecurity

Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) announced it has received a $250,000 grant from the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, to launch a 3-year ‘Food as Medicine’ initiative in the Inland Empire. The grant will support FARSB as it collaborates with local healthcare providers to screen patients for food insecurity during healthcare visits. The healthcare partners will then connect patients who screen positive for food insecurity to food assistance resources onsite at healthcare facilities, community-based food pantries, and meal programs.

The ‘Food as Medicine,’ a Feeding America® initiative funded by the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, will help connect approximately 9,000 people facing hunger in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to food distribution programs that provide access to healthy food options. The initiative aims to screen between 70,000 and 80,000 patients over the next 3 years with the goal of improving food security and health outcomes.

“At FARSB, our paramount goal is to forge meaningful partnerships, facilitating the equitable distribution of resources to families in need, particularly those who may be hesitant to approach conventional food pantries for assistance. Through the ‘Food is Medicine’ initiative, families are being introduced to food assistance programs during their health care visits when they need it most,” said Carolyn Solar, CEO of Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino. “We wholeheartedly value our collaboration with Anthem, as together, we are bridging the gap between hunger and health.”

The lack of access to nutritious foods can have serious, long-term effects on health and well-being, and it can make managing existing chronic conditions more difficult for people facing hunger.1 The ‘Food as Medicine’ program includes data collection capabilities that will help identify learnings and best practices to enable positive health outcomes in participants. FARSB, a member of the Feeding America network, is one of 21 food banks to receive this funding from the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation.