Hunger and Health: Making Connections on Capitol Hill
During a typical hospital visit, health care professionals will check a patient for a range of health issues—hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, among others. Last year, Toledo-based healthcare system ProMedica began screening visitors to its hospitals for something new: food insecurity. Recognizing that hunger can have as much of an impact on health as any disease, they even helped some patients at risk of hunger apply for food stamps, and sent others home with emergency groceries.
"There is nothing more fundamental to population health than food and other social determinants of health," Randy Oostra, ProMedica’s president and CEO, told USA Today earlier this month.
While the implications of hunger are often discussed, the connection between hunger and health isn't a topic that is frequently raised. But hunger impacts health—and it's time people started talking about it.
Bread for the World Institute’s 2014 Hunger Report, "Ending Hunger in America," details the ways in which ProMedica has set out to recast hunger as a healthcare priority, similar to fighting heart disease or cancer. Fighting hunger is now an important part of the preventative and wellness methods that keeping people healthy and reduce healthcare costs.
Tomorrow, the Alliance to End Hunger and ProMedica will host “Come to the Table,” a summit to address hunger as a health issue, on Capitol Hill. The purpose of the event is to persuade more lawmakers and healthcare industry leaders to champion anti-hunger initiatives by making connections among reducing hunger, improving health outcomes, and lowering healthcare costs. The event will also serve as a platform to form creative, effective collaborations and encourage federal legislation to protect anti-hunger programs.
Bread for the World President Rev. David Beckmann will join other experts, including U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, to discuss how we can combat hunger in our nation, and improve our nation’s collective health.
Photo: A doctor examines a patient at Family and Medical Counseling Service in Washington D.C., on June 11, 2009. (Rick Reinhard)
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