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Addressing Food Insecurity by Increasing Awareness of Local Resources in Centreville, Illinois

CP16 - Addressing Food Insecurity by Increasing Awareness of Local Resources in Centreville, Illinois

Poster Type: Innovation

Primary Funding Source: A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Category: A. T. Still University; Expanding Access to Care and Other Services; Social Determinants of Health

Issue or Challenge: The city of Centreville, Illinois is a food desert with 80.1% of residents living beyond 1/2 mile from a supermarket or grocery store and 32.0% of housing units report not having access to a vehicle according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This combination has been shown to lead to adverse health outcomes.

Description of Innovation: We created a pamphlet that included information on organizations providing resources within a 5-mile radius of Touchette Regional Hospital located in Centreville, IL. The pamphlet included contact information and websites for food pantries, Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation (SIHF) clinics, oral health providers, and women’s shelters. Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we ensured each organization was open and available prior to including it in the pamphlet. Information on Eligibility criteria and application instructions for WIC, SNAP, and disability were also included. Also, on the pamphlet was a QR code to an optional internet survey asking for feedback on the pamphlet, leaving room for us to improve this resource in the future. These pamphlets were distributed to the community inside free food packages prepared by the Touchette Regional Hospital Bicycle Food Mission (TRHBFM). TRHBFM is a weekly donation-driven initiative that aims to address food insecurity in the area by preparing and distributing hot, nutritious meals to anyone who requests one. To further help this community, we provided TRHBFM with bundles of disposable face masks to include in food packages with our pamphlet to help provide protection against COVID-19 infection.

Impact or Result: While the larger impact on health outcomes may not fully be known in the short term, the objective of promoting local nutritional and healthcare resources was met. In a 9-week period, approximately 6,000 disposable face masks and 2,000 copies of the pamphlet were distributed along with fresh meals throughout five routes. On average, 222 pamphlets and 666 masks were distributed weekly over 9 weeks. The quantity of distributed pamphlets may not correlate with unique recipients due to overlap in community members who received weekly meals. The health center saw an appreciable growth and increase in donations for the program when comparing week 1 to week 9. Weekly meal production increased from 200 to almost 900 due to a budget increase of $300/week over that time period. More importantly, as the program grew, increasing numbers of community members volunteered to help those at greatest risk, including the elderly and homeless.

Replicating this Innovation: A similar model could be implemented at other organizations with their own state-specific guidelines. Food insecurity is a common theme across many communities throughout the United States. A TRHBFM-like program could be feasible to implement in other organizations as it requires only a handful of dedicated volunteers and kitchen facilities. In its early stages, the TRHBFM was producing around 200 meals with a $500 weekly budget for ingredients and supplies. After 12 weeks, the weekly budget had increased to $800 allowing for the production of nearly 900 meals. Program marketing on social media and the implementation of an online donation system has allowed the program to continue its operations exclusively on donations. We believe such an approach can make this innovation applicable in other organizations.

Author(s):

Victor Huerta, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Teri Nguyen-Guo, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Molly Shipman, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Jeremy Brown, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Karen Chen, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Jade Jones, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Kirstie Mabitad, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Syed Raheem, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Alexa Stephenson, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Aliza Tan, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Alan Tran, OMS-II, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona