According to Feeding America, 58% of households served by FA have a member with high blood pressure and 33% have a member with diabetes. Hunger and health are deeply connected.
Hunger costs our nation $167.5 billion a year. There are strong associations between food insecurity and medical consequences. For low-income patients with diabetes, the risk of hospitalization increases by 27% during the last week of the month vs. the first week of the month. Poverty and food insecurity have serious consequences for health. Trusted professionals, like medical providers, can play a critical role in connecting eligible, low-income patients with food and nutrition services and other benefits that can help move them towards food security and possible reduction in chronic illnesses such as diabetes.
Screening Patients for Food Insecurity
BVFB’s Screen & Intervene Program trains medical professionals to identify patients who may be struggling with hunger through a two-question screening as part of their normal intake process. If a patient screens positive, they are offered a 30-lb food box and given referrals to available resources in the community. Healthcare providers can also enroll patients with chronic conditions in the food prescription project, connecting them to medically tailored foods each month.
The Brazos Valley Food Bank partners with Health For All, CHI St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital, Veteran Clinic, Aggieland Pregnancy Outreach, and The Prenatal Clinic for Screen & Intervene.
Ways to get involved with Screen & Intervene
To get S&I boxes delivered to the 5 healthcare clinics that BVFB partners with, food items first have to be sorted and packed by our dedicated volunteers.
The food items are purchased to meet the daily dietary requirements for everyone including individuals living with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The food box contains items such as multi-grain cheerios, oatmeal packages, 1% milk, peanut butter, dry pinto beans, low sodium tomatoes, no sugar added mandarin oranges, chicken chunk, brown rice, white rice, etc.
Click here to learn more about how you, your family, and friends can volunteer with the Screen & Intervene program.
BVFB partners with medical providers to identify food-insecure families and individuals and connect those identified with resources. There are two simple, nationally validated, and widely used questions, available in multiple languages, which experience has shown are best provided in writing and can be added to patient check-in materials or included in a broader health assessment.
For each statement, please tell me whether the statement was "often true, sometimes true, or never true" for your household:
- Within the past 12 months we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more
- Within the past 12 months the food we bought just didn't last and we didn't have money to get more
Click here for more information about Hunger Screening and Intervention.
How Do We Respond to Patients who Screen Positive for Food Insecurity?
- Referral to the Care Coordination team and other resources
- Resource handout
- Offer food on-site
As a Screen & Intervene Partner Site, you will work alongside the Brazos Valley Food Bank to help address hunger in your community.
The Brazos Valley Food Bank:
- Raises funds and acquires food for Screen & Intervene
- Packs Screen & Intervene boxes, with the help of many volunteers
- Delivers Screen & Intervene boxes to Screen & Intervene Partner Sites
- Provides a simple, constantly updated resource handout
Each Screen & Intervene Partner Site:
- Identifies food insecure patients using 2 simple, nationally validated, and widely used questions
- Refer identified food-insecure patients to resources
- Safely stores Screen & Intervene boxes until delivered to patients (if providing food)
- Report each month, telling us about the population served through the Screen & Intervene Program
Become a Screen & Intervene Partner site - If your clinic is interested in more information about Screen & Intervene, contact Morayo Suara at morayos@bvfb.org
As one of our core services to the Brazos Valley, the Screen & Intervene program is completely dependent on donations from individuals like you!