September 17, 2018
An estimated one in four people in Philadelphia experience food insecurity, or an inability to consistently access sufficient nutritious food. September is Hunger Action Month, but anti-hunger organizations in Philadelphia work year-round to ensure our communities have access to the food they need. Many of these local anti-hunger organizations participate in the COACH (Collaborative Opportunities to Advance Community Health) initiative. COACH is a collaborative sponsored by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania and facilitated by the Health Care Improvement Foundation. Visit the websites of these COACH partners to learn more about their work or to get involved locally:
Hospitals and health systems who are members of COACH have also taken up the mantle to combat food insecurity. Health systems screen patients for food insecurity and refer those in need to food resources as part of the collaborative’s Healthy Food Access Pilot. But efforts to ensure food access go beyond clinical screening and intervention efforts. Many health systems have established in-house programming to help patients and communities access nutritious food, such as community gardens, on-site farmer’s markets, food pantries, and nutrition education classes. These programs are often the product of robust partnerships between health systems and community-based anti-hunger organizations. Some examples of these programs are shown in the infographic below, but this list isn’t comprehensive: it provides just a glimpse into the work that COACH partners undertake, together, to ensure food access for the communities they serve.