Episode 21: Healthy Food Access before Medicine
About the Podcast
Allison Hess is in charge of health innovations at Geisinger Hospital. She plays a leading role in the nationally recognized program, Fresh Food Farmacy. It’s a gold standard of diabetes care, providing nutrition education and healthy food to people who are food insecure.
About Allison Hess
Allison is the Vice President of Health Innovations at Geisinger Hospital. She’s demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Most recently, she’s worked on Geisinger Hospital’s Fresh Food Farmacy. This program is a gold standard of diabetes care, providing nutrition education and healthy food to people who are food insecure. She holds a master’s in business administration, bachelors in Health Education and minor in psychology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Discussion Takeaways
- The Fresh Food Farmacy (FFF) takes into consideration the health of the entire household, not just the patient.
- The FFF program has a 20% increase in preventative care because they focus the whole person and reducing their barriers to success.
- If you jump into nutrition education without asking if someone has access to food, the patient or client might feel defeated and not return.
- When patients are engaged, they become champions of programs like this one.
- Patient engagement requires a foundation of trust.
- Allowing food pantry guests to pick out their own food provides dignity, reduces food waste, decreases volunteer hours, and makes everyone happy!
- Food insecurity is one of several barriers and issues people are dealing with in life. Breaking down barriers to food access improves the success of patient care.
- As people become more engaged in their health, people want more programming. That is when we are able to explore the root cause of the disease.
- Our patients, employees, and community members are considered the Geisinger Family.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
Patient’s trust is essential for patient engagement.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement’s Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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