Food Bank of the Rockies Partners With Family Health West
At Family Health West (FHW) we take some pride in being nimble, making adjustments as needed, and sometimes making decisions simply because they are the right thing to do. Leadership likes to ask what the impact on our community will be when we consider a new service line, clinic, or specialty. So when Sue Ellen Rodwick, Western Slope Director of Food Bank of the Rockies, and Dr. Korrey Klein, President and CEO of FHW, sat down one day and talked it was not surprising that a partnership sprung up for a pilot program inspired by a highly successful initiative on the Front Range.
Primary care physicians are monitoring and involved in all aspects of their patient’s health. Identifying food insecurity in a patient who has a chronic health issue is identified during routine (and non-routine) visits at the FHW Primary Care Clinic. The care team and physicians at FHW now can essentially prescribe a screening that leads to enrollment in Food Bank of the Rockies’ Food for Health Program, providing them with weekly deliveries of nutrient-dense, medically tailored food boxes for six months.
Food for Health addresses the vital connection between food insecurity and chronic health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease by providing participants with nutritious food that supports their medical needs. These boxes contain fiber-rich, low-sodium items and fresh produce, along with recipes to support nutrition education. At the end of the delivery period, the receiver will have a fully stocked cabinet of seasonings along with a drawer full of recipes that can be easily prepared at home.
“This program has shown that access to healthy foods can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and lower overall blood sugar averages,” Dr. Klein said. “This food, in combination with routine supervision by a FHW Primary Care provider, improves the overall health of our community.”
From physicians to care teams to Food Bank staff, there are a lot of moving parts. The recent launch of the program’s expansion to the Western Slope met with excitement.
“Food for Health aligns with our mission to nourish our community and meet each of our neighbors’ unique needs. By bringing this program to the Western Slope, we want to ensure that individuals living with chronic illnesses and experiencing food insecurity have access to nutritious foods to support their overall health and well-being,” Rodwick remarked.
But there is more. After six months, each patient, or as Food Bank of the Rockies calls them – neighbor – “graduates” to the second step of the program. From months seven to twelve, they receive a $35 monthly produce prescription card to select their own fresh fruits and vegetables, continuing their path to better health.
And that’s not even the end of it. Employees with Family Health West recently volunteered at Food Bank of the Rockies’ signature “Family Night” event – where the community, families as the name suggests, comes together at the Food Bank’s Western Slope Etkin Family Distribution Center to assist in food sorting, preparation, and assembly of food boxes for delivery to those in need. For one evening, the FHW staff were working side-by-side with a variety of community members. People like their own neighbors, people with a heart for volunteering and giving back to the community, and kids of almost any age. It was an all-hands-on-deck sort of evening. And while no one knows which boxes will end up at the home of FHW Primary Care patients enrolled in the program or another community neighbor in need of added nutrition, it was all packed with love.
Food Bank of the Rockies is currently partnered with Family Health West to support individuals in our region. They anticipate expanding the partnerships across the Western Slope to work with more primary care physicians, care teams, and clinics. To sign up your family, church group, or book club to volunteer with Food Bank of the Rockies at the next Family Night event, visit https://foodbankrockies.org/ws. And, if you are in need of food assistance, we invite you to visit https://www.foodbankrockies.org/find-food/.
