Originally posted by Contra Costa Health Services
Patients visiting our health centers are now being regularly screened for hunger when they come in for their medical appointments.
At intake, patients are given a form that asks if they have been unable to afford food or have been worried about running out of food. If patients mark “yes” to any of the food insecurity questions, they are given a referral to the Food Bank Contra Costa and Solano, which then helps those patients sign up for CalFresh (food stamps).
“We know that food insecurity is linked to poor health outcomes,” said Dr. Michelle Wong, head of our Integrative Health Program. “By rolling out universal food security screening at all clinics with an immediate referral to the Food Bank, we are showing our system recognizes food security as vital to patients’ health.”
The universal food-insecurity screenings are part of a broader “food as medicine” campaign at CCRMC & Health Centers to address other factors in people’s lives that impact health besides disease. In recent years, CCRMC/HC has begun incorporating wraparound services for food security and healthy eating – from free weekly assistance with CalFresh sign-ups to offering free produce in clinics to teaching patients how to cook and eat healthier on a budget through group medical visits.
After a successful pilot, the food-insecurity screenings – also known as “hunger vital signs” –started systemwide at all our health centers in December. Food Bank representatives are regularly onsite at various health centers and can often provide immediate assistance following medical visits.
For more information, contact Dr. Gabriela Sullivan at [email protected].
When a community is affected by a large-scale disaster, food banks serve a critical role as “second responders.” They provide food and water in the immediate aftermath and offer longer-term food assistance to people rebuilding their lives.
A week after leaving door hangers to remind people of the upcoming Scouting for Food, local Cub Scout Calvin Burt and his den returned to the same Pleasant Hill neighborhoods to pick up donated food on November 17th. This was Calvin’s 4th year participating in this annual event and like always, he got a thrill out of spotting the food at participating houses. Normally he and his den would walk, but with the smoke-filled skies resulting from the fires in Butte County, their families drove half the route.
The Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is the largest one-day food drive in the nation and this year it takes place on May 12th. Every year we ask you to participate by putting a bag of food by your mailbox on the Saturday before Mother’s Day before your normal mail delivery time. But where does the food go? How does it get in the hands of the people who need it? How much is collected? Here’s a little breakdown of the process:
Sometimes two full-time jobs aren’t enough to support a family in the Bay Area. Jorge and Silvia Medina of Richmond work hard to provide for their young boys. However, their combined incomes don’t cover all of their basic expenses.
1 peeled and sectioned orange (or 2 cuties)
The decisions you make while buying food for your family are the same ones our Purchasing Manager, Veronica, makes on behalf of the people served by the Food Bank. Like most of us, she too has to balance cost and convenience with nutrition and taste. 
