Healthcare Providers & Food Insecurity: Opportunities for Collaboration

If you’ve ever been hungry, you know what it feels like: the irritability, the headaches, the fatigue. And worse. Many chronic poor health conditions directly stem from food insecurity and a less-than-optimal diet. 

Health care providers at all levels have a great opportunity to fight food insecurity everywhere and improve health outcomes for their patients in need.

For many individuals and families we serve at Olean Food Pantry, hunger isn’t just a passing sensation — it’s a daily reality. And for those struggling with illness or chronic disease, the consequences can be dire. You can’t achieve good health without a strong diet. You can’t fight disease or work toward better health without access to nutritious foods.

That’s why we’re raising our voice to say: it’s time to see food as medicine.

Healthcare providers and food pantries can and must work together — because nutrition and health are intrinsically linked.

A Prescription Beyond Pills: Food is Medicine

Our volunteers at Olean Food Pantry see the intersection of food and health every day. 

The senior with diabetes who struggles to afford both insulin at the pharmacy and fresh vegetables at the grocery store. The child whose behavioral issues stem mostly from malnutrition. The cancer survivor whose medical bills are so astronomical they can’t afford nutritious meals.

The stories vary, but the outcome is always the same: food insecurity threatens health.

Research backs it up. Food-insecure adults are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and depression. Children without consistent access to nutritious meals face developmental delays, behavioral problems and academic struggles. 

Malnutrition weakens immune systems, reduces energy levels, and makes managing any illness — physical or mental — exponentially harder.

But what if, instead of simply prescribing medications and sending patients home, medical professionals could refer them to a trusted local partner who provides nourishment? What if healthcare providers and food pantries teamed up — not just in moments of hunger crisis, but as part of a broader strategy to heal?

Here’s how health care providers can help:

1. Screen for Food Insecurity

It should be like any other question at the doctor’s office. Food access is a key piece to the puzzle of holistic health. Just as they ask about smoking, exercise or alcohol use, providers can include two simple screening questions during routine checkups:

• “In the past 12 months, have you worried whether your food would run out before you had money to buy more?”
• “In the past 12 months, did the food you bought not last and you didn’t have money to get more?”
  These questions take a quick second, but can uncover a critical social determinant of health.

2. Refer Patients to the Local Food Pantry

If a patient screens positive for food insecurity, they can be referred directly to us or another front-line hunger organization. We serve on average more than 2,200 individuals each month from Allegany to Cattaraugus to Chautauqua counties in Western New York, where hunger often is an overlooked reality. 

They receive fresh produce, proteins, grains, dairy and other staples through our Shopper’s Choice model, which allows clients to select the foods that best meet their dietary and cultural needs.

Need diapers? Cleaning supplies? Personal hygiene products? We offer those, too — because we know that a healthy home is part of a healthy life.

3. Collaborate on Nutrition-Focused Programming

Many healthcare providers around the U.S. already partner with local food pantries on nutrition education, diabetes-friendly meal planning and healthy cooking demos. Here at Olean Food Pantry, we’re always looking for new ways to educate our community and help them make healthier choices with the food they receive.

Imagine the impact of a pediatrician providing a “prescription” for fruits and vegetables, redeemable at the food pantry. Or a discharge nurse including a food assistance flyer in hospital packets. 

These small gestures bridge the gap between diagnosis and true wellness.

4. Support Advocacy for Hunger Relief

Healthcare institutions can be powerful hunger relief advocates. Their voices matter. Policymakers and donors tend to listen more carefully to medical experts when they speak up about food insecurity as a health crisis. 

Providers can write op-eds in the regional media, testify at hearings, or join coalitions that push for stronger hunger relief policies from the local to the national levels.

What Olean Food Pantry Brings to the Table in the War on Hunger

Olean Food Pantry is proud to be more than just a place where people pick up free groceries. We’re a community health ally. In 2024 alone, we served over 27,170 people — more than double our annual total just five years ago – routinely hitting record-setting distribution numbers.

We offer:

• Nutritious food choices tailored to a wide range of dietary needs.
• Fresh produce from our on-site community garden and local partners.
• A welcoming space where clients are treated with dignity and compassion.
• Volunteer-run services, ensuring every dollar goes as far as possible toward helping those in need.
  

Most importantly, we serve people without judgment. Whether someone has a chronic illness, is recovering from surgery, or simply needs a boost after a tough month, we’re here to help.

The link between hunger and health is clear. But tackling it requires more than good intentions. It requires collaboration. Healthcare professionals can be on the front lines of identifying food insecurity. Food pantries like ours are on the front lines of meeting it. When we come together, we can catch people before they fall through the cracks — and in many cases, before their health spirals out of control.

Whether you’re a hospital administrator, family physician, social worker, or public health official — we believe that together, we can not only treat illness, but prevent it. Because healing starts with hope — and hope starts with food. 

To explore partnerships, email us at oleanfoodpantry@yahoo.com.

(Editor’s note: Olean Food Pantry is not a professional health services organization. Advice within this blog should not be taken as a replacement to seeking expert opinions from licensed medical professionals.)